Ron Wyden

Wyden Eyes Legislation To Limit Warrantless Cell Phone Tracking

Ruth Schneider | January 28, 2011, 4:19PM

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR)

Anyone who carries a cell phone can easily be tracked by law enforcement -- and the courts don't require them to get a warrant to do it. Cell phones ping cell towers creating a way of triangulating location -- information mobile providers like AT&T and Verizon collect and distribute to law enforcement upon request.

Sen. Ron. Wyden, D-Ore., said Friday that it's time to rethink the laws that allow law enforcement easy access to that data.

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2010 elections

OMG: One-Fourth Of Americans Used Cell Phones To Connect To 2010 Elections

Jon Terbush | December 23, 2010, 8:50AM

Americans can't seem go anywhere without talking about politics these days. Whether they were texting or tweeting, talking or typing, one in four Americans used a cell phone for some purpose related to the elections this year, according to a Pew Internet poll released today.

According to the survey, 26% of all Americans used a mobile phone to learn or communicate about the midterm elections. Of the entire U.S. population, 82% own a cell phone, according to the poll.

In general, the results reinforce what was already widely known -- that cell phones have become extremely versatile devices that are permeating more and more facets of daily life. But on a deeper level, the results show that mobile phones are emerging as a new frontier in politics, whether for reading the news, tracking campaigns or even donating to candidates.

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