Help power Marketplace this winter when you support the show today. Donate Now!

Cell phone location data raises protection/privacy issues

Eve Troeh Oct 1, 2012
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Cell phone location data raises protection/privacy issues

Eve Troeh Oct 1, 2012
HTML EMBED:
COPY

Imagine your car gets stolen but your cell phone is in it. The police can ask the phone company to turn on a service that tracks your phone’s location, and help the cops find the thief.

“Law enforcement can ping users’ cell phones and other devices and learn where they are in real time,” says Chris Hoofnagle, director of the Berkeley Center for Law and Technology.

Hoofnagle says police around the country “ping” cell phones every day, to catch suspects in the act. But for phone companies, it’s a thorny issue. They get so many police requests, Hoofnagle says, they need full-time staff to handle them.

“Most companies do not want to provide this information to law enforcement, but they feel pressure to do so,” says Hoofnagle.

The companies don’t want it getting out that they’ll let police “ping” your phone if it’s involved in a crime. Because, well, lots of customers are already freaked out over digital privacy. And while tracking your phone could help solve a crime in the moment, it could also violate rights, without proper cause.

Several states are wrangling with the issue. New Jersey went the opposite direction of California. Police there must get a warrant to track a cell phone.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.