Apple Inc., Google Inc. and other smartphone technology companies may face tougher European Union restrictions on the way they handle user-location data after data privacy watchdogs said the information is private, Bloomberg reported.
Information that could betray the location of devices such as Apple’s iPhones and phones running Google’s Android software must be treated as personal, requiring companies to comply with European Union data protection law, EU privacy officials said in a nonbinding opinion that was published yesterday.
Users must be given “clear, comprehensive” and understandable information about how, why and for how long their data is processed, the so-called Article 29 Data Protection Working Party said in the opinion. Technology firms can use location data to deliver targeted advertising and help customers find nearby businesses.
Data protection officials in Europe, including Germany and France, are investigating recent reports on the collection and storage of location data on Apple’s iPhones. Apple and Google last week defended their handling of user location before U.S. lawmakers.
