US Congress quizzes Google on location tracking database of hundreds of millions of smartphone users

Google's tracking database contains consumer information dating back to 2009

US Congress has written to Google in an attempt to learn more about its location tracking database.

The open letter from the House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce, addressed to Google CEO Sundar Pichai, quizzes the firm on its Sensorvault database, which is reportedly regularly used by law enforcement.

Sensorvault, which has been in operation for a decade, provides US law enforcement agencies with access to location data taken from hundreds of millions of smartphones.

We are writing... about a massive database of precise location information on hundreds of millions of consumers

According to the findings from the New York Times, officials are able to harvest information from all devices in the vicinity of a crime scene. Authorities have used the tool in a number of cases, including bombings in Texas.

On Tuesday, members of the US House Energy and Commerce Committee wrote to the tech firm to voice their concerns about the database and the ways in which it is being used by authorities.

"We are writing in response to concerning reports about a massive database of precise location information on hundreds of millions of consumers known inside Google as Sensorvault," the lawmakers wrote.

"According to recent reports, Google tracks and stores precise location information on a huge volume of consumers, including partially every consumer with an Android device, in some cases storing information dating back to 2009."

When these capabilities are taken into account, the officials noted how "the potential ramifications for consumer privacy are far-reaching and concerning".

They want to "know the purposes for which Google maintains the Sensorvault database and the extent to which Google shares precise location information from this database with third parties".

In the letter, the lawmakers ask Google ten questions about the tool. These have been summarised by Hacker News:

• What information Google stores in the Sensorvault database, why and how does Google use it?
• Which affiliate and subsidiaries of Alphabet company have access to this database?
• Does Google maintain any other database on users' location information, and if yes, how it is different from Sensorvault?
• Who within Google can access the Sensorvault database and what are their job roles?
• What are the sources from which Google collects information contained in Sensorvault database?
• Can users opt-in or opt-out to allow or prevent Google from collecting information stored in the Sensorvault database?
• What's Google's retention policy with respect to the information the company collects on its customers?
• Does Google share, sell or disclose customers location information with any third-party other than law enforcement?

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