One week ago today, both Apple and Google sent representatives to Washington DC to attend a congressional hearing on mobile privacy that was catalyzed by “locationgate.” Apple sent senior executive Guy Tribble while Google sent Alan Davidson, a lobbyist. But that’s a story for another time.
Today, Apple, Google, and Facebook will be back in DC to answer more questions about consumer privacy in the mobile marketplace. Heading up this particular powwow will be chairman Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia.
While Davidson will be returning for Google, Apple’s representative this time around will be Catherine Novelli, a Apple’s VP of worldwide government affairs. Notably absent from the second go round of mobile privacy is the US Dept. of Justice. Something tells us this meeting will be slightly less intense, but it’s probably not the wisest move to give our congressman too much credit, especially after Al Franken’s poor, albeit well intentioned, showing last week.
Apple has by all measures sufficiently addressed and responded to the controversy surrounding the allegations that it was tracking users. Senior executives, including Steve Jobs, not only granted an interview to the Wall Street Journal, but the company also issued a formal press release on the matter. Further, Tribble last week drove the point home, quite eloquently, that Apple has no intention of tracking user location and that it considers user privacy with respect to location of utmost importance.
So what will Apple and co. be rapping about today?
We’ll keep you posted, but if you want to check out the hearing for yourself, it’s set to kick off at 10 a.m Eastern time today.
via CNET
Mon, May 16, 2011
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