Why It’s So Easy for a Bounty Hunter to Find You

When you signed up for cellphone service, I bet you didn’t expect that your exact location could be sold to anyone for a few hundred dollars. The truth is, your wireless carrier tracks you everywhere you go, whether you like it or not. When used appropriately, this tracking shouldn’t be a problem: location information allows emergency services to find you when you need them most. But wireless carriers have been selling our data in ways that allows it to be resold for potentially dangerous purposes. This industrywide practice facilitates “pay to track” schemes that appear to violate the law and Federal Communications Commission rules. Federal action is long overdue. As a Democratic commissioner at the Republican-led agency, I can call for action, but the chairman sets the agenda, including deciding whether and how quickly to respond to pay-to-track schemes. The agency’s inaction despite these increasingly troubling reports speaks volumes and leaves our duty to the public unfulfilled. The FCC must use its authority to protect consumers and promote public safety, and act swiftly and decisively to stop illegal and dangerous pay-to-track practices once and for all.

[Geoffrey Starks is a member of the Federal Communications Commission]