Published: December 2021

The FCC and FTC can do more to protect consumers’ location data

Consumer Action joined privacy experts and consumer rights advocates in endorsing a letter from Rep. Katie Porter, Rep. Jamie Raskin, and 42 other House members who are calling on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to establish stronger rules governing the collection and sale of consumers’ location data. The letter also asks the FCC to reaffirm that location data collected by mobile phone carriers is subject to privacy safeguards, including when a user’s phone is idle.

Consumer Action lent its support to Congressman Jamie Raskin (D-MD) and Congresswoman Katie Porter (D-CA) along with 42 of their Democratic colleagues, who sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission requesting new rulemaking to strengthen privacy protections for consumers’ location data. Currently, app developers are able to collect sensitive user information and sell it to third parties for a substantial profit. Apps can harvest personal information, such as geolocation and phone identifiers, even when apps are not in use and even after users deny permission for such sharing. The continued, unregulated commercialization of private geolocation data compromises the safety and privacy of consumers, and more can and should be done by the regulating agencies to protect personal information.

Other Organizations

Accountable Tech | Center for Democracy & Technology | Center for Digital Democracy | Common Cause | Common Sense Media | Consumer Action | Electronic Privacy Information Center | Fairplay | Free Press Action Fund | Project on Government Oversight | Public Knowledge | U.S. Public Interest Research Group

More Information

Click here to read the letter in full.

For more information, please visit Congressman Raskin’s website.

 

Download PDF

No Download Available