May 10th, 2011
Senators skeptical of Google, Apple mobile privacy
Reuters
Lawmakers considering new privacy laws scolded Google and Apple on Tuesday for not doing enough to guard mobile device users’ location data, despite executives’ assertions that they do not abuse the information.
“I have serious doubts about whether those rights are being respected in law or in practice,” Democratic Senator Al Franken said at a hearing of a new subcommittee on privacy, technology and the law.
Senators accused the tech industry of exploiting location data for marketing purposes—a potentially multibillion-dollar industry—without getting proper consent from millions of Americans.
Lawmakers did, however, say they would be cautious about drafting privacy rules that could stifle innovation in the space. Mobile device users’ personal information helps companies tailor coupons, advertisements and weather information, among many other things.
“Don’t get me wrong. The existence of this business model is not a bad thing. I love using Google maps for free,” Franken said.
The revelation last month that Apple Inc’s iPhones collected location data and stored it for up to a year—even when location software was supposedly turned off—has prompted renewed scrutiny of the nexus between location and privacy.
Apple has since issued a patch to fix the problem.
Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/10/us-congress-privacy-idUSTRE74969220110510