Cell-Tracking Bills Require Info Dump for Missing Persons

[The Straight Story]

Cell-Tracking Bills Require Info Dump for Missing Persons


Mobile phone companies would have to immediately turn over location data to emergency responders to help them quickly track missing persons, if any one of the four bills floating in the House get traction.

The law already allows, but does not automatically require, phone companies to turn over ping data from cell towers in emergency situations absent court warrants. The proposals would require telcos to promptly hand over the information if authorities tell them that harm or death are imminent.

At first glance, one might think the bills are a slippery slope toward requiring telcos to release such information during any criminal investigation, even when there is no pending emergency. But the Obama administration has jumped feet first into that slippery slope, and is seeking such information, without a court warrant, in a pending drug case.

The latest measures, which are basically the same to a varying degree, are in response to the Kelsey Smith murder in 2007. The 18-year-old girl of Kansas was kidnapped in 2007 and her body was found four days later in a nearby wooded area. She was discovered 45 minutes after Verizon released ping data from her cell phone, after days of haggling between Verizon and the authorities over whether the company must provide the information.

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2009/10/cell-tracking-bills/

[Barack_America]

1. Want to murder your ex-wife and can't find her? Report her missing!

These are the types of scenarios that have me worried about this.

Sometimes people don't want to be found, and with good reason.

If this passes, the police and courts are going to have to be very careful about how it's implemented.