S. 1223: Location Privacy Protection Act of 2012

112th Congress · introduced 2011-06-16 · Crime and Law Enforcement · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 567.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2011-06-16 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 567. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Location Privacy Protection Act of 2012

Plain summary

Location Privacy Protection Act of 2011 - Amends the federal criminal code to prohibit a nongovernmental individual or entity engaged in the business of offering or providing a service to electronic communications devices from knowingly collecting, obtaining, or disclosing to a nongovernmental individual or entity geolocation information from an electronic communications device without the express authorization of the individual using the device. Defines "geolocation information" as any information concerning the location of an electronic communications device and used to identify or approximate the location of the electronic communications device or the individual using the device. Makes exceptions: (1) necessary to locate a minor child or provide fire, medical, public safety, or other emergency services; (2) for the sole purpose of transmitting the geolocation information to the individual or another authorized recipient; or (3) expressly required by state, regulation, or appropriate judicial process. Requires an entity that provides geolocation information to: (1) provide notice that geolocation information relating to an individual is being disclosed to another individual; and (2) inform an individual on how such individual may revoke consent to the collection, receipt, recording, obtaining, and disclosure of geolocation information relating to the individual. Authorizes civil actions by the Attorney General, state attorneys general, and aggrieved individuals for violations of this Act, subject to specified limitations. Prohibits: (1) the unauthorized disclosure of geolocation information in aid of interstate domestic violence or stalking, and (2) the sale of geolocation information of not less than 1,000 children under age 11. Directs: (1) the National Institute of Justice to conduct a national baseline study to examine the role of geolocation information in violence against women; (2) the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women to establish a task force to assist in the study's development and implementation; (3) the Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), in conjunction with the Director of the Bureau of Justice Assistance, to create a mechanism using the Internet Crime Complaint Center to register complaints of crimes the conduct of which was aided by use of geolocation information; and (4) the Attorney General to develop a national education curriculum to ensure that all courts, victim advocates, and state and local law enforcement personnel have access to information about relevant laws, practices, procedures, and policies for investigating and prosecuting the misuse of geolocation information.

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

What a vote does

A “Yea” vote

If it passes both chambers and is signed, it becomes law.

A “Nay” vote

If it is not passed, current law stays as it is.

PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Location Privacy Protection Act of 2012

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)

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Alternatives

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Franken, Al [D-MN] · 6 cosponsors

Cost estimate: No cost estimate published yet.

Cosponsors on this site

Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Christopher A. Coons (D-DE), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), Richard J. Durbin (D-IL)

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (3)

Appropriation: Money a legislature sets aside by law for a specific purpose. Government agencies may spend public money only as it has been appropriated.
Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Rulemaking: The process agencies use to write regulations that carry out laws passed by Congress or a legislature. Usually an agency publishes a proposed rule, takes public comments, then publishes a final rule.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Introduced in Senate)
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-112s1223.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/112/s>

Record fed-us-cong112-s1223 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong112 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong112