Senator Wyden and Representatives Chaffetz and Goodlatte are introducing legislation Wednesday that would set some ground rules for when companies would be required to turn over both real time and previous data on a customer’s location.
The bill means the government would need a warrant to get access to geolocation information for criminal investigations. The bill covers all forms of geolocation information, including GPS and cell-site data, and both real time and historic data.
The Computer & Communications Industry Association said the legislation is a necessary step to protect peoples’ privacy. The following can be attributed to CCIA President & CEO Ed Black:
“This bipartisan, bicameral legislation would protect people that use mobile devices from unnecessary government intervention into their private lives. It would provide new legal clarity for businesses facing various law enforcement requests for customer data.
“CCIA supports this long overdue reform that creates clear rules for a 21st century mobile wireless space marked so far by chaos and misunderstandings. It balances Americans’ privacy protections with the legitimate needs of law enforcement, and maintains emergency exceptions. The bill creates a universal warrant standard for all geolocation information, regardless of how or when it is obtained, sending a clear signal to users that this information is protected.”
