Verizon to require location warning stickers on phones
updated 12:45 pm EDT, Fri April 29, 2011
Verizon to require location heads-up on phones
Verizon in a response (PDF) to Massachusetts Congressman Ed Markey's call for answers on phone location data said it would start putting a sticker on every phone warning that they tracked location. The removable screen notice would tell users that it could track the real world location and "associate this location data with other customer information." Subscribers would be asked to check location settings if they're concerned and to be "cautious" with apps and services.
The labels would come "soon," Verizon said.
Its warning would be the first of its kind in the US and would be part of a larger response from carriers hoping to defend their part in location practices. Legally, carriers are required to conduct basic tracking to meet rules for emergencies and warrant-guided investigations. Most of the current concern revolves around equal or greater data collection by private firms, which in a lawsuit against Google this week was compared to a warrant order in how well it might identify a user.
Carriers still typically carry information for longer, and at Verizon have records going up to seven years.
Apple and Google are due to appear at a hearing May 10 that would ask them to explain their roles in the situation. The circumstances could draw carriers in if they can persuade Congress that they aren't as effective at tracking data as the cellular providers they have to use. [via Forbes]
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined: Mar 2009
give me a break
This is like putting a sticker on hair dryers to not use in the tub. People want the ability to use location services, they just are being told its a bad thing by conspiracy theorists. Without the ability to know where your phone is, it is not capable of providing a whole host of features that are very useful for people. As you say, carriers are required to capture location information so what's the big deal? Anyone who thinks they can stay hidden while using any electronic device does not understand how things work.
Give this thing a rest. It's being blown way out of proportion. This isn't the movies where a person's every step is captured.