Senator Ron Wyden - Can You Track Me Now?

Legislative Action on Location Data Surveillance

Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee and longtime digital privacy advocate, presents at DEF CON to discuss his legislative efforts to stop US telecom carriers from selling Americans' real-time location data.

The Location Data Crisis

Following Joseph Cox's Motherboard reporting demonstrating that any American's real-time phone location could be purchased for ~$300 through carrier location data aggregators, Wyden escalated legislative and investigative pressure on the FCC and telecom carriers.

Legislative Proposals

Wyden presents the Mind Your Own Business Act — proposed legislation creating criminal penalties for tech company executives who knowingly mislead the FCC about privacy practices — and the Fourth Amendment is Not for Sale Act, requiring law enforcement to obtain warrants before purchasing location data from data brokers.

FCC Accountability

The senator criticizes FCC Chairman Ajit Pai's failure to act on location data abuses despite extensive documentation, calling for aggressive FCC enforcement action under existing law. Wyden reveals correspondence demanding carrier commitments to cease location data sales.