Great article by Jennifer Granick on mobile phone tracking. We all know that service providers keep the location information in a database for each mobile phone as it moves from tower to tower. I am unaware of the retention time for this data, but it is probably safe to assume forever.
The article focuses on the requirements to legally obtain access to mobile location information. Unfortunately, it appears that it is getting easier not harder. A simple showing of ‘relevance’ is now enough for law enforcement to request mobile location information. This is just one example of many that show the privacy laws in the United States being eroded away slowly, undetectable to the average person. Eventually one day the world will wake up and say “Wait a minute! What happened? We need to do something.” But by then I fear it will be too late.
This of course doesn’t apply to Canada yet, but that is only a matter of time.
