EPIC Backs Comments on Location Privacy
EPIC has joined a coalition of consumer privacy groups in comments to the Federal Communications Commission on the "Roadmap for Improving E911 Location Accuracy." EPIC and the groups explained that collecting location information without privacy protections puts customers at risk. EPIC filed similar comments with the FCC in 2007. EPIC urged the Commission to recognize that "(1) the FCC has an obligation to protect the privacy of consumer information generated by the provision of communication services; (2) current regulations do not adequately location-based information, (3) legal frameworks, notably in the European Union, provide safeguards for location data, and (4) the Commission should establish rules that limit the use of customer location-based information." EPIC has frequently advocated for express authorization prior to disclosure of "call location information." The "Roadmap" raises concerns that the location of telephone users will be routinely known to federal agencies, whether or not there is an emergency. EPIC has also filed amicus curiae briefs in the U.S. Supreme Court and the Supreme Court of New Jersey arguing that location tracking by the government is a search under the Fourth Amendment and should only be conducted with a judicial warrant. For more information, see EPIC: Locational Privacy.
December 16, 2014| Share:
