WASHINGTON, DC— Today Reps. Henry A. Waxman, Diana DeGette, Edward J. Markey, and Anna G. Eshoo sent a letter to Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee Chairman Cliff Stearns, and Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden requesting a hearing on reports that cellphone tracking is being used extensively by law enforcement officials, creating concerns about consumer privacy.
 
Rep. Markey’s previous request for information from mobile carriers found that use of cellphone tracking is rapidly increasing.  In 2011 alone, federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies made more than 1.3 million requests of wireless carriers for cell phone records.  In the letter, the members state, “the information provided by the wireless carriers raises concerns about law enforcement’s use of cell phone tracking and what is being done to protect the privacy of consumers.  In response to this newly released information, we ask that the Committee hold a hearing to examine whether consumer privacy is being adequately protected by law enforcement officials and wireless carriers.”
 
The full text of the letter is available online here.
 
Additional information on Rep. Markey’s investigation is available online here.

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