Verizon To Put Location-Tracking Warning Sticker On Phones

Posted by BananaFamine on May 3, 2011

Julianne Pepitone reports in CNN:

In the wake of a giant brouhaha over the news that Apple’s iPhones record and store users’ locations, Verizon Wireless says it will start slapping ‘we can track you!’ warning stickers on its products.

Verizon’s announcement came in the form of a letter to Representatives Ed Markey, a Democrat from Massachusetts, and Joe Barton, a Texas Republican. In March, they asked the four major wireless carriers to explain how and why they track mobile location data.

All four carriers acknowledged that they store location data for varying periods of time, but Verizon was the only company to suggest a warning label. The company says it will begin including the removable sticker on all new devices it sells.

The sticker warns: “This device is capable of determining its (and your) physical, geographical location and can associate this location data with other customer information. To limit access to location information by others, refer to the User Guide for Location settings and be cautious when downloading, accessing or using applications and services.”

Verizon also disclosed that it stores location data and other customer information for seven years. Sprint keeps the details for three years, while AT&T retains it for anywhere from a few days to five years. T-Mobile did not give a timeframe.

For more information, see original article.