# Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last year **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic\ **Created:** [December 3, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846 "2009-12-03T06:25:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Geehee](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/geehee/32/7238_2.png) [@Geehee](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Geehee)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/1 "2009-12-03T06:25:00Z")
> **[Sprint handed customer GPS data to law enforcement over 8 million times last...](https://www.engadget.com/2009-12-02-sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-millio.html)** > > Privacy advocates and career criminals alike are in a lather over reports that between September 2008 and October 2009, Sprint Nextel ponied up customer location data to various law enforcement agencies more than 8 million times. Speaking at ISS... > Privacy advocates and career criminals alike are in a lather over reports that between September 2008 and October 2009, Sprint Nextel ponied up customer location data to various law enforcement agencies more than 8 million times. Speaking at ISS World 2009 (a conference for law enforcement and telecom industry-types responsible for “lawful interception, electronic investigations and network Intelligence gathering”), Sprint Nextel’s very own Paul Taylor, Manager of Electronic Surveillance, lamented on the sheer volume of requests the company’s received in the past year for precise GPS data for Sprint customers. How did the company meet such high demand? Apparently, his team built a special “web interface” which “has just really caught on fire with law enforcement.” We’re glad that Sprint’s plans to [streamline the customer service experience](http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/29/atandt-sprint-t-mobile-verizon-goaded-into-customer-service-sho/) don’t stop short of those who serve and protect, but as the EFF points out, plenty of nagging questions remain, including: How many individual customers have been affected? Is Sprint demanding search warrants? How secure is this web interface? Check out an excerpt from Taylor’s speech after the break. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:30am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/2 "2009-12-03T06:30:58Z")
Are you surprised about this? ---
**Author:** ![Geehee](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/geehee/32/7238_2.png) [@Geehee](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Geehee)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:38am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/3 "2009-12-03T06:38:20Z")
not really. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:42am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/4 "2009-12-03T06:42:08Z")
I would love to see some stats about people getting busted for drugs etc because of cellphones(text,calls,gps) ---
**Author:** ![Cavi\_Mike](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/cavi_mike/32/5217_2.png) [@Cavi\_Mike](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Cavi_Mike)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:42am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/5 "2009-12-03T06:42:05Z")
Big Brother is here to stay. I can’t believe how many cameras are being put up around here and I’m not just talking about the blue light districts either. ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/6 "2009-12-03T06:47:27Z")
makes me curious if there is a big difference between sprint and other carriers. That would be the smoking gun in the article. Something like Sprint: 8m At&T: 25k LOL ---
**Author:** ![glitch](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/0ea827/32.png) [@glitch](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/glitch)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:50am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/7 "2009-12-03T06:50:16Z")
Figured. > [@mafdark](#): > > makes me curious if there is a big difference between sprint and other carriers. In terms of law enforcement relations, I highly doubt it. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/8 "2009-12-03T06:58:02Z")
Maybe more criminals like sprint? ---
**Author:** ![Geehee](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/geehee/32/7238_2.png) [@Geehee](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Geehee)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/9 "2009-12-03T06:58:13Z")
> [@LZ](#): > > I would love to see some stats about people getting busted for drugs etc because of cellphones(text,calls,gps) thats how that bar in nt got busted ---
**Author:** ![Geehee](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/geehee/32/7238_2.png) [@Geehee](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Geehee)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 6:58am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/10 "2009-12-03T06:58:52Z")
> [@LZ](#): > > Maybe more criminals like sprint? sprint is a budget carrier. cheap, and they dont really care about credit. ---
**Author:** ![LZ1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/11 "2009-12-03T07:01:30Z")
> [@Geehee](#): > > thats how that bar in nt got busted yea I wasn’t trying to make the realdeal reference… ---
**Author:** ![system](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/2X/b/b7170c8eddc0b95ece6b88172b2f416a08489a45.png) [@system](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/system)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 8:22am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/12 "2009-12-03T08:22:35Z")
> [@Geehee](#): > > sprint is a budget carrier. cheap, and they dont really care about credit. :spank: thought that was Cricket ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/blue_eyed_devil/32/7292_2.png) [@Blue\_Eyed\_Devil](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Blue_Eyed_Devil)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 8:24am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/13 "2009-12-03T08:24:21Z")
Does Tiger have sprint? ---
**Author:** ![newman](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/newman/32/7569_2.png) [@newman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/newman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 8:26am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/14 "2009-12-03T08:26:20Z")
Really could give “BOOST, Where you at?” new meaning… ---
**Author:** ![Onyx\_Z32](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/onyx_z32/32/7581_2.png) [@Onyx\_Z32](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Onyx_Z32)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 8:37am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/15 "2009-12-03T08:37:47Z")
> [@newman](#): > > Really could give > > “BOOST, Where you at?” > > new meaning… [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R_Nis_WC2sk) 5-OHH!!! [![](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/uploads/speedlife/original/3X/6/8/68ab561243de9d84a34c7ad78f57e7c7c54114d9.jpeg "Five oh!! boost mobile commercial") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J6a8x8k6pg) ---
**Author:** ![Muckman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@Muckman](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Muckman)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 9:17am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/16 "2009-12-03T09:17:12Z")
Do cops even have to try anymore? ---
**Author:** ![ultradriver10000](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ultradriver10000/32/7397_2.png) [@ultradriver10000](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ultradriver10000)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 9:25am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/17 "2009-12-03T09:25:33Z")
So you don’t carry your phone with you when you want to kill someone. No big deal I hate carrying my cell anyways. > [@Muckman](#): > > Do cops even have to try anymore? Not with craiglist and technology lol. Hell onstar can turn off / stop cars! ---
**Author:** ![Joe](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/joe/32/7219_2.png) [@Joe](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Joe)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 10:48am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/18 "2009-12-03T10:48:17Z")
all the cops saw Officer Brian O’Connor got to trace nextel phones and wanted in on the action. ---
**Author:** ![JustinH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/9fc29f/32.png) [@JustinH](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JustinH)\ **Post date:** [December 3, 2009, 1:53pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/sprint-handed-customer-gps-data-to-law-enforcement-over-8-million-times-last-year/76846/19 "2009-12-03T13:53:52Z")
every sprint phone I have owned has a GPS on or off function right on the phone. It is set on by default. I just leave mine on, i suppose in case I get lost in some mountain range that happens to have sprint coverage.