Mobile Privacy Scrutiny Mounts

By Carla Rover • May 11, 2011 • 1 min read •

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.

https://digiday.com/?p=5082

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