Should Law Enforcement Use Cell Phone Data to Track Citizens?

[The Straight Story]

Should Law Enforcement Use Cell Phone Data to Track Citizens?

Prompted by privacy concerns, U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., is circulating draft legislation that would require law enforcement officials to obtain warrants before using data collected from mobile devices for tracking purposes.

If formally proposed as it’s now written, the bill would severely curtail the ability of police to use geolocation information acquired by wireless carriers. Such data is utilized frequently to pinpoint the whereabouts of criminals through items such as cell phones, global positioning systems and computers.

With technology advances outpacing existing law, individuals and telecommunication companies are wary about the legalities of sharing personal location data. But as Paul Wormeli, executive director emeritus at the Integrated Justice Information Systems Institute, explained Friday, March 25, Wyden’s bill could also have a chilling effect on officers worried about losing their jobs.

“The draft of the legislation starts from the premise that it is illegal to use any GPS tracking devices with certain exceptions, but those exceptions are not well thought through,” Wormeli said. “It doesn’t cover all the circumstances where an exception would be warranted.”

http://www.govtech.com/geospatial/Law-Enforcement-Cell-Phone-Data-Citizens.html

[DJ13]

1. the legislation starts from the premise that it is illegal to use any GPS tracking devices

Just how did these lazy assholes do police work before they had GPS?

[rfranklin]

2. No, implanting RFID microchips is sufficient!

Livestock identification and traceability is an area of growing interest and concern. When societies are able to trace the source and health management of animals involved in the food supply chain, the safety of resulting food products is enhanced, farmers and ranchers are able to increase their profitability, and governments around the world can effectively and efficiently manage animal health issues in the event of disease. In this global market, Destron Fearing has emerged as a key innovator. Based in South St. Paul, Minnesota, this Digital Angel subsidiary has been a leading developer and manufacturer of livestock identification solutions since 1945, and pioneered the development of RFID microchip technology for use in livestock in the 1980s.

http://www.digitalangel.com/livestock.php