Apple, Google will testify to Senate on location tracking

29.04.2011
Representatives from both and will testify at a Congressional hearing next month on consumer privacy and , two U.S. senators confirmed on Thursday.

"I'm pleased that Apple and Google have confirmed that they'll be sending representatives to testify at my upcoming hearing on mobile technology and privacy," Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) said in a statement issued today.

Franken, who chairs a new Senate privacy panel, added that the hearing was a "first step" in Congressional inquiries whether federal laws have kept up with the surge in mobile devices, including smartphones and tablets.

Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the chairman of the Senate's Judiciary Committee, also acknowledged the participation of the two firms. "It is essential that policy makers and the American people have complete and accurate information about the privacy implications of these new technologies," Leahy said in a separate statement.

Franken kicked off the inquiry last week on the same day that two British researchers reported that Apple's and 3G containing thousands of location data entries going months. The unsecured file was also backed up on users' PCs and Macs during synchronization.

On Monday, to testify at his hearing. Wednesday, Leahy followed up with a letter to the two companies, urging them to accept Franken's invitation as he noted "deep concern that [ Phones and iPhones] collect, store and track user location data without the user's consent."