On May 10, 2011, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology and the Law held a hearing to examine industry practices concerning the collection, retention, and use of consumer mobile device location information. The hearing, “Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy,” was spurred by recent investigative news reports that Apple and Google have been secretly collecting and storing users’ mobile device location information. Two panels of witnesses, including representatives from the FTC, Department of Justice, Apple, and Google, briefed subcommittee members on the legal, enforcement, and technological aspects of the mobile location data issue.
The Senate hearing is the latest event during a particularly active period for consumer privacy and data security-related Congressional activity. In addition to hearings, a growing number of federal bills have been introduced in response to privacy and data security concerns.
Click here for a summary of the hearing, as well as a chart summarizing the various federal bills on point.
If this topic is of interest, don’t miss the Kelley Drye & Warren LLP webinar, “Mobile Applications: Privacy and Data Security Considerations,” on May 16 at 12:00pm Eastern.