EPIC and Public Knowledge Urge FCC to Protect More Sensitive 911 Caller Location Data, Such as IoT Data

EPIC and Public Knowledge filed joint comments on June 6 encouraging the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that carriers protect the location information of individuals contacting 911, as new technologies are deployed to discern caller location more precisely. While both consumer advocacy organizations support equipping emergency personnel with adequately precise caller location information where time is of the essence, for instance to locate and treat a cardiac victim in a multi-story office building, historic misuses of this data demand strong guardrails. This is especially significant as the data the agency proposes using to dispatch help, such as nearby Internet of Things (IoT) devices and Wi-Fi networks, is even more sensitive than the data it already requires carriers to use.

EPIC regularly advocates for policies that support public safety goals, data privacy and security, and caller autonomy.