Senators Propose Bill To Protect The Privacy Of Smartphone Users

Senators Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) on Wednesday introduced a bill that would require companies that manufacture mobile devices to receive express consent from consumers before sharing information about those users’ locations with third parties.

“After listening to expert testimony at the hearing I chaired last month on mobile technology and privacy and hearing from anti-domestic violence groups in Minnesota who said this kind of technology can be exploited by abusers, I concluded that our laws do too little to protect information on our mobile devices,” Franken said, according to a press release.

The Location Privacy Protection Act seeks to close current loopholes in Federal law, ensuring that consumers know what location information is being collected about them by their mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets) and allow them to decide if they want to share it.
“As smartphone technology continues to advance, it is vitally important that we keep pace with new developments to make sure consumer data is secure from being shared or sold without proper notification to consumers,” Blumenthal said.