FPF Issues Statement on FCC & FTC Location Based Services Forum:

Leaders of the Future of Privacy Forum (FPF), a privacy think tank whose Advisory Board includes privacy scholars, privacy advocates and corporate privacy officers, made the following statements in relation to today’s FCC & FTC Forum on Location Based Services:

“Today’s Location Based Services Forum is a positive and important educational opportunity  to highlight best practices concerning the collection and use of location information,” said Christopher Wolf, FPF co-Chairman.  He added, “Consumers are entitled to privacy protections for their location information when using mobile devices and only with privacy will there be the consumer trust needed for the nascent location based services sector to flourish.”

“For real privacy advances to be made in this space, it is important that the range of ways location based information is collected and used is well understood by consumers and policymakers,” explained Jules Polonetsky, FPF Co-Chairman. “Location based information comes from a wide ecosystem that includes wifi networks and GPS, in addition to cell towers.  This information is then used and shared by multiple platforms, such as application developers and ad networks.  To help further understanding of this complicated environment, we have released the following education chart, and we look forward to a continued discussion on the issue.”

To schedule an interview with Jules Polonetsky or Christopher Wolf, email: [email protected].

To learn more about privacy issues in the mobile and online application spheres, visit www.applicationprivacy.org