The EU data watchdogs say phone location data should be considered personal.

[Stuart]

In answer to the recently revealed storage of location data by both Apple and Google, not to mention various services that ask you share your location, the EU data watchdog will apparently recommend that in the upcoming data protection directive, the EU defines your location as personal data.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2011/05...say_watchdogs/

[Welshchris]

will this hinder authorities efforts in a search and rescue for example?

Sometimes they will try and find out if ur phone has been used in a certain area and try and narrow down ur location from that.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Welshchris

will this hinder authorities efforts in a search and rescue for example?

Sometimes they will try and find out if ur phone has been used in a certain area and try and narrow down ur location from that.

No. This is covered seperately under RIPA, and the authorities can retrieve your location from the mobile phone companies.

Also, you'll find that even if RIPA didn't make provision for that, the Data Protection Acts in the various European States have various get out clauses that the authorities can use to obtain the date.

This should stop the likes of Apple and Google using the data for anything they don't state they are going to use it for though.