Pallone Seeks House Commerce Hearing on Location Smart, Securus Cellphone Location Data Disclosures
House Commerce Committee ranking member Frank Pallone, D-N.J., sought a hearing Thursday on the reported unauthorized disclosure of wireless subscribers' real-time location data by LocationSmart and Securus. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., asked the FCC earlier this month to investigate reports…
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about Securus' disclosure of the data via a location tracking service it was offering to law enforcement and prison officials. The FCC has since said it's investigating. Securus offered the service using data bought from location aggregation firm LocationSmart (see 180511062). “The issues raised by this incident” mirror those exposed in Cambridge Analytica's alleged misuse of Facebook users’ private information, which has itself drawn significant congressional scrutiny (see 1803200047, 1804060056, 1804100054, 1804110054 and 1804300029), Pallone said in a letter to House Commerce Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore. “The reports detailing the wide availability of consumers’ cell phone location information and the vulnerabilities in the relevant databases and systems that third-parties used to store this information suggest gaps in the law or enforcement.” A hearing “on how this information was made available is necessary to better understand whether the privacy protections in the Communications Act were violated and whether Congress needs to take action to ensure users’ data are protected,” Pallone said. The committee “shares the concerns raised and is considering the request,” a spokeswoman said.