Privacy Groups Ask FCC to Address E911 Privacy Concerns

Today OTI joined a coalition of 17 privacy advocates, including Public Knowledge, American Civil Liberties Union, Center for Democracy & Technology, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Electronic Privacy Information Center in submitting comments to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) highlighting privacy concerns arising out of the Commission's efforts to update regulations that require wireless carriers to provide emergency responders with the location of customers who call 911.

The comments were filed in the FCC's docket to update E911 rules to require more precise location information about 911 callers. The comments respond specifically to the roadmap for implementation proposed by the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, the National Emergency Number Association, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon. As the comments point out, the roadmap raises a number of privacy concerns that are not addressed in the roadmap itself.

Explaining that it would be much easier for carriers and others to build an E911 system that is privacy respectful if privacy expectations are set forth at this early stage, the comments call on the FCC to pass new regulations protecting and restricting the use of E911 location information and related records.

Read the full filing here.