CNET News reports on a draft bill currently being circulated in the House of Representatives that would give the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regulatory powers over "monitoring software" installed on mobile devices. Introduced by Rep. Ed Markey (D-MA), the Mobile Device Privacy Act comes after last year's discovery of controversial mobile software made by California-based Carrier IQ. According to the report, entities that install monitoring software would need to obtain "express consent" from users, and companies would have a year to disclose to the FTC "the fact that the monitoring software is installed on the mobile telephone..." Carrier IQ is currently facing at least four lawsuits, and inquiries from the FTC and the Federal Communications Commission, prompting some to question whether a new law is needed.
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