Forum Moderators: bakedjake
In its first look at the growing controversy about location tracking by smartphones, the Federal Communications Commission has invited Apple, Google and consumer advocates to a forum in late June.
The FCC will study the risks and benefits of location-based services at a "public education forum" on June 28 that will include wireless carriers, other technology companies and consumer advocacy groups, the FCC said on Tuesday.
The revelation last month that Apple's iPhones collected location data and stored it for up to a year -- even when location software was supposedly turned off -- has prompted renewed scrutiny of the nexus between location and privacy.
Google, a fierce competitor of Apple in mobile computing, has also faced sharp criticism over reports that Android-based phones track the locations of users.
