Are mobile phone “stalking apps” legal?
That was a question in a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder and Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz from a bipartisan group of senators led by Al Franken (D-Minn.) and Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), as reported by CNN. The lawmakers are urging an investigation of smart phone applications that allow people to secretly track others’ movements, CNN said.
“Some apps also allow users to track the e-mails and monitor the phone calls of their targets,” CNN noted. The senators cited one ad proclaiming: “Worried about your spouse cheating? Track every text, every call and every move they make.”
Joining Franken and Grassley in signing the letter were Senators Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Charles Schumer of New York and Dianne Feinstein of California, all Democrats, and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John Cornyn of Texas, both Republicans.
You have to wonder: What would sleazy private eye Jake Gittes of “Chinatown” fame do with this technology? Or would it drive him out of business?
More seriously, perhaps the legality of “stalking apps” may be yet another question to be addressed in a world that’s changing faster and faster. And imagine if the issue reaches the Supreme Court: Do any of the justices know what a “stalking app” is?
