New Senate will bill require Android to get consent for geolocation data

This whole location tracking issue hasn’t gone away, and now a bill has been put forward that will require explicit consent for smartphone’s to track your location. Apple, Google, and thousands of other companies would need to not only ask permission to use geolocation but also take steps to protect that data and delete it after it’s no longer needed. They also want to show that breaking these rules are a big deal, saying that the Department of Justice would enforce the laws instead of regular courts.

We do agree that there does need to be steps taken to make sure data is protected from anyone trying to steal it. It also wouldn’t be a bad idea to have the data deleted after it was no longer needed. I’m just annoyed that people still don’t understand that Android has always asked for a persons consent to track your location the moment you turn on your smartphone for the first time. Apps that use location from the market show that information when you are about to download the application (although most people just skip through that process). Google has even made a statement saying that the location data they store is anonymous, so they don’t have a file with your name on it.

This problem will continue to grow, as many people believe that location based ads are the next big thing. Laws will be passed, but I’m sure there will be more grey areas that will need to be filled before everyone is happy. The way things stand though, it doesn’t look like too many things are going to change.

[via Electronista]