Steve Jobs and Larry Page have been invited to testify at the May 10 senate hearing on privacy and mobile telephones.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy extended the invitation, saying in a letter to the two that: “like many Americans, I read with deep concern recent press reports indicating that” the devices “collect, store and track user location data without the user’s consent.”
“As Congress considers updates to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and other federal privacy laws, it is essential that the Senate Judiciary Committee have full and accurate information about the privacy risks posed by this new technology,” Leahy continued.
The hearing was called after researchers Pete Warden and Alasdair Allen published a report showing that iPhones store time-stamped location data.
Google has said it is willing to explain to lawmakers how it protects people’s privacy on mobile devices, no word from Apple yet.
Is this an invitation Apple can and should refuse?
Via Bloomberg
Nicole Martinelli is a San Francisco freelance writer who heads up Cult of Mac Magazine, our weekly publication available on iTunes. You can find her on Twitter and Google+. If you’re doing something new, cool and Apple-related, email her.
8 responses to “Apple, Google Invited to Senate Hearing on Mobile Phone Privacy”
I can’t wait for the hearing…
I’m more interested in what Google does. Google’s business is in eye-balls for advertisers. Therefore, Google would be more likely to track your movement than Apple, whose business model is in selling you hardware.
I love the image you chose to use. I may have to grab that…. hmmmm
I don’t get this user consent thing. I’ve been driving a car for years now and have no clue as to what’s going on under the hood. I’ve been using a computer for years now and have no clue why it works the way it does. Shows have been broadcasted to my TV w/out my consent for many years now. What makes smartphones so special that users all of a sudden want consent on how it function the way it does? What next? Apple and Google asking users’ consent on how to build OS algorithms? This is ridiculous.
Why would you go to anything Leahy invited you to. Apple can and will refuse.