The privacy wars are heating up in mobile.
Stating that device manufacturers and mobile app makers “can disclose your location information and other sensitive information to almost anyone they please-without letting you know,” Senator Al Franken made the case for launching a cohesive body of law to deal with mobile data privacy during a senate hearing on Tuesday.
The hearing, “Protecting Mobile Privacy: Your Smartphones, Tablets, Cell Phones and Your Privacy” was a full-on assault against Apple’s claims that iPhone’s don’t really track consumers, just their mobile phones.
“That data does not actually contain any information about customer information at all,” said Guy “Bud” Tribble, Apple’s vp of software in the hearing. “It’s completely anonymous; it’s only about the cell phone towers and the Wi-Fi hotspots.” Referring to Apple’s published Q&A, which notes that iPhones pinpoint locations and store data. Comparing that with Apple’s current protests that iPhones don’t track users, Franken stated that, “It does not appear to me that both these statements could be true at the same time.”
Watch highlights from the hearings on Franken’s website here or view the entire hearing on the Congressional website.
Trending in
Most Read
More in Media
How kid-rearing tips are helping Willa Bennett reignite legacy media brands
April 18, 2025
Willa Bennett is rewriting the rulebook of print and digital magazine brands as the editor in chief of Hearst’s Cosmopolitan and Seventeen.
Ad Tech Briefing: Google is ruled as a monopolist for the second time in a year, but what now?
April 18, 2025
Experts share their thoughts on the most effective remedies to drive market impact.
Judge rules against Google in ad tech antitrust case
April 17, 2025
However, the DOJ failed to prove Google monopolized ad network market.