House Hearing on the Collection and Use of Location Information for Commercial Purposes

The House Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection and the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet held a joint hearing on February 24. The hearing examined privacy and other issues related to the commercial collection, use, and sharing of location-based information.

Applications that collect information about users' whereabouts may soon face more regulatory scrutiny if Congress backs the suggestions from members of subcommittees. Commerce, Trade and Consumer Protection Subcommittee Chairman Bobby Rush (D-IL) said he will push legislation that would clamp down on commercial applications companies who collect users' location data.

Rules preventing wireless carriers from sharing customers' location data without their consent must also apply to location-reading application companies, said Rep Edward Markey (D-MA). The wireless regulations ensure a mobile phone is a "telecommunications device and not a tracker," Rep Markey said, arguing that similar rules should govern applications such as global positioning systems (GPS) and mapping programs, services that connect users with nearby retailers, and social applications such as Four Square, which allow users to tell their friends where they are.