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Four Major Communications Carriers Respond to Questions About Customer Data Collection

The big four phone carriers spill on their location and customer data collection policies: “The recent uproar over location tracking in smartphones has gotten ugly and fingers are bound to be pointed. But in the spirit of transparency, the four major carriers have outlined and detailed their location tracking applications s well as what exactly that data is being used for. The honesty does come as a response to the revelation that iPhones, Android devices, and Windows Phone 7 units are tracking user location.”

  • Markey, Barton Respond to Wireless Companies – Follows Inquires of Apple Collection of Personal Location Information by iPhones, iPads: “Congressmen Edward Markey (D-Mass.) and Joe Barton (R-Tex.) today released the responses from the four major U.S. wireless carriers – AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile – after the lawmakers wrote to the companies inquiring about their data collection, storage and disclosure practices for customers’ personally identifiable information. Reps. Markey and Barton, co-Chairmen of the House Bi-Partisan Privacy Caucus, wrote to the wireless carriers in response to a New York Times report that a German mobile phone company tracked the locations and destinations of one of its customers, including latitude and longitude coordinates. “The responses of the wireless carriers provide important insights into how each company collects, uses and stores personal location data, including examples of how consumers can grant or withhold consent when location-based services are utilized,” said Rep. Markey. “Consumer consent and control are critical to ensure adequate privacy protections, and the responses shine a light on the various methods used to safeguard consumers’ sensitive information.”
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