"The GPS Act will modernize our outdated communications privacy laws, which were created before the Internet was even invented," Senator Kirk said. Finally, it protects the privacy and civil liberty of any American using a GPS-enabled device.” It also provides much-needed legal clarity for commercial service providers who often struggle to balance the privacy of their customers with requests for information from law enforcement. “The GPS Act provides law enforcement with a clear mandate for when to obtain a warrant for the geolocation information of an American. “GPS technology has evolved into a useful commercial and law enforcement tool but the rules for the use of that tool have not evolved along with it,” Wyden said. The law makes exceptions for cases of emergencies or national security, but will extend warrant requirements to acquisition from commercial service providers and covert government tracking devices. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Senator Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) have reintroduced the Geolocation Privacy and Surveillance Act (GPS Act) in the House and Senate which will require law-enforcement to obtain a warrant before acquiring geolocation information of an American. In order to provide uniformity and clarity for the use of GPS data by law-enforcement and to protect American civil liberties in the digital age, a bipartisan coalition led by Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Rep. Jones tracking case in 2012 was consistent with the GPS Act, but several of the Justices noted that a number of questions remain unresolved by the courts, and suggested that it is up to Congress to establish clear rules. To add to the confusion, courts in different jurisdictions have applied the law inconsistently – with some courts allowing law-enforcement wide latitude for the tracking of Americans through their cell phones and GPS-enabled devices. However, the rules governing how law-enforcement can acquire and use this data to track individuals are unclear. Each of these cutting-edge devices includes built-in GPS technology collecting more personal geolocation data than ever before. – Recent reports indicate that by the end of 2013 smart phones could account for 70 percent of all mobile phones in the U.S. MaBipartisan Legislation Institutes Warrant Requirements to Track Americans with GPS Data
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