Lawmakers Press Alphabet and Apple on Smartphone Users' Privacy

By John D. McKinnon

WASHINGTON -- House lawmakers sent letters Monday to the chief executives of Alphabet Inc. and Apple Inc. seeking answers about how they handle smartphone users' personal data, including location data.

The letters show that privacy concerns in Washington have spread beyond Facebook Inc., which has been in regulators' and lawmakers' crosshairs this past year over the sharing of user information with a data-analytics firm that had ties to the Donald Trump presidential campaign.

In the letters, House Energy and Commerce Committee leaders said recent media reports and other information have raised questions about the companies' practices.

The lawmakers' letter to Alphabet CEO Larry Page said recent reports indicate that its Android smartphone operating system collects extensive user location data and reports it back to Alphabet's Google unit even when locations services are disabled.

Write to John D. McKinnon at john.mckinnon@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

July 09, 2018 13:57 ET (17:57 GMT)

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