Madigan
CHICAGO (Legal Newsline) - Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan announced on Monday that she has sent a letter to two major technology manufacturers seeking a meeting with executives over concerns of mobile device privacy.
In the wake of reports that Google Android devices, iPhones and iPads are collecting and storing detailed information about users' locations, Madigan contacted executives at Apple Inc. and Google. The information, which consists of latitude and longitude coordinates coupled with a time stamp, is allegedly unprotected and unencrypted.
In the letter, Madigan asked the companies to detail what information they are storing, for how long and what it is used for.
"I want to know whether consumers have been informed of what is being tracked and stored by Apple and Google and whether those tracking and storage features can be disabled," Madigan said. "It's important that these companies ensure that their users' private information is protected."
Madigan's letter is part of an ongoing effort to protect the personal information of consumers online. Madigan and other attorney generals in states around the country have been interested in Google's collection of data over wireless network for its Street View mapping feature. The Street View program features photographs of neighborhoods nationwide. The data was allegedly collected fom public networks, including user emails, passwords and web surfing activity.