Congress Considers ‘Ping’ Laws for Cellular Locating

The murder young Kansas woman in 2007 has prompted the state’s legislators to introduce bills in the U.S. Congress to require that cellular carriers provide handset “ping” information to public safety agencies without a subpoena or search warrant. Kelsey Smith disappeared from Johnson County, and it took two days for investigators to obtain a list and map from Verizon Wireless of where her cellular phone had been received at antenna towers. Smith’s family complained that she might have been found alive if the company had acted quicker. The Kansas state legislature passed a bill last February requiring prompt, no-paper delivery of cellular pings to public safety agencies who claim an emergency exists. It’s the first and only such legislation in the United States. Now Kansas Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R) has introduced similar legislation in the U.S. Congress, hoping to make the requirement nationwide. Download (pdf) the four proposed bills, along with the Kansas law and related documents.