Congressional Privacy Caucus Co-Chair Ed Markey, D-Mass., asked nine carriers about...
Congressional Privacy Caucus Co-Chair Ed Markey, D-Mass., asked nine carriers about their practice of sharing mobile tracking data with police departments, in separate letters sent Wednesday. The inquiry stemmed from a recent New York Times article that revealed the extent…
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to which law enforcement agencies are seeking information about customers’ phone usage, geolocation, text messages and “full scale wiretapping,” said Markey’s office. The Times article also mentioned that wireless companies are selling mobile phone tracking equipment to law enforcement agencies and some are actively marketing their ability to provide customer information to police departments. Markey sent letters to U.S. Cellular, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Leap Wireless/Cricket Communications, MetroPCS, Verizon, AT&T, C Spire Wireless and TracFone Wireless. “I am deeply concerned about possible privacy intrusions, particularly in the absence of consumer knowledge or consent, or judicial oversight,” Markey wrote in identical letters to each carrier (http://xrl.us/bm55mq). He asked them to report the extent of the information sharing with law enforcement agencies and how much money they gained in exchange for such information, as well as to explain each company’s protocol for handling such requests and divulge any misuse of cellphone tracking by law enforcement agencies. A Verizon spokesman said the company will review the letter and “respond in an appropriate manner. In responding to law enforcement requests, Verizon Wireless follows the law,” he said. AT&T spokeswoman Margaret Boles and Cricket spokesman Greg Lund confirmed that the companies had received Markey’s letter and both said they “will respond accordingly.” CTIA declined to comment.