Home › News ›

House Wants Cell Phone Owners Warned of Tracking Software

Jan 30, 2012, 3:13 PM by Eric M. Zeman

A new bill being introduced by Massachusetts Representative Ed Markey would require cell phone makers and network operators to inform consumers about any location-tracking or information-sharing software/services that are installed on the device. "Consumers have the right to know and to say no to the presence of software on their mobile devices that can collect and transmit their personal and sensitive information," said Markey. "While consumers rely on their phones, their phones relay all sorts of information about them, often without their knowledge or consent. I am concerned about the threat to consumers’ privacy posed by electronic monitoring software on mobile phones. Today I am releasing draft legislation to provide greater transparency into the transmission of consumers’ personal information and empower consumers to say no to such transmission." The Mobile Device Privacy Act covers a wide range of scenarios and demands that customers be informed about what software is on board, what information it collects, to which entity it sends that information, and requires that the receiving entities store the information securely.

Rep. Ed Markey »
AllThingsD »

Related

Samsung Refreshes Galaxy S Series with S Pen, New Cameras

Feb 9, 2022
Samsung today announced its lineup of flagship phones for 2022: the Galaxy S22 series. The top-end S22 Ultra sees the biggest changes as it essentially absorbs Samsung's Note series with an integrated S Pen stylus and a more Note-like shape and design, instead of the Contour Cut design of the other models.

Samsung Upgrades its Wearables

Aug 10, 2022
Alongside its new foldable phones, Samsung has revealed its newest smartwatches and Bluetooth earbuds, each with significant engineering improvements. The new Galaxy Watch5 has a 13% larger battery and 60% more durable face compared to the Watch4.

iPhone 14 Plus Offers a Big Screen For Less

Sep 7, 2022
Apple has revealed the iPhone 14 series, with new features, improved specs, and new size options. In place of a Mini option, the iPhone 14 will come in the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen size options as the Pro models.

iPhone 15 Series Goes All-In on USB-C and Dynamic Island

Sep 12, 2023
Apple has revealed the iPhone 15 series, which moves to a USB-C connector and brings several key features from last year's Pro models to the more-affordable standard models. These include the pill-shaped sensor cutout in the display that Apple calls Dynamic Island, a brighter display that can reach 2000 nits, a 48 megapixel main camera, and the A16 Bionic processor chip.

T-Mobile Intros LTE Tracking Tag

Apr 28, 2021
T-Mobile has announced a new tracking tag device that operates on its 4G LTE network. Like a Tile or Apple's new AirTags, the SyncUP Tracker is designed to help you track and find any item that is easily lost or stolen.

more news about:

Comments

This forum is closed.

This forum is closed.

Globhead

Jan 30, 2012, 6:03 PM

How about the ability to REMOVE software we don't want?

The carriers should not be installing permanent software which is not necessary for the service we are buying.

Kenzin

I would honestly trade a portion of privacy for the ability to remove bloatware without risking my warranty! Well said!

T Bone

Then don't buy carrier equipment....pay full retail for unlocked phones that are not carrier branded....but if you carrier equipment, you do it on THEIR terms, that's just the way it is.

...

planethulk

Jan 30, 2012, 4:58 PM

How 'bout we just don't get tracked?

Wow there's this little thing called privacy that we used to value here in America. Now, I'm sure some of you are saying "Oh but we MUST have all these trackers so we can be safe". I'm here to tell you, there are no Iranians going to jump from out from under our beds just because my cell phone isn't being tracked. However, if things like these are allowed to continue, we WILL see the Feds kicking in our door based on what we surf or what products we buy.

Page 1 of 1