House Bill Would Require Cellphone Owners Be Notified of Tracking Software

All Things D: Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey has drafted new legislation that would require cell phone carriers to notify customers before placing any tracking software on their mobile devices. Observers say the bill is a response to last year's revelations that many carriers had installed CarrierIQ tracking software on customers' smartphones without the customers' knowledge.

“Consumers have the right to know and to say no to the presence of software on their mobile devices that can collect and transmit their personal and sensitive information,” said Markey.