Sponsors (4)
The bill speeds and standardizes emergency disclosure of device location to help find people in danger and improve accountability, but does so by lowering warrant protections and creating risks of misuse, uneven privacy across states, and additional compliance costs.
People in imminent danger and emergency responders: device location can be obtained without delay when officers reasonably suspect an imminent risk of death or serious harm, enabling faster rescues and emergency response.
People who recently called 911 but couldn't provide location (including callers with disabilities or chronic conditions): carriers may disclose device location if the device contacted 911 within the prior 48 hours, improving chances of locating callers who need help.
Agencies and families: the law establishes a standard consent and next-of-kin priority order for disclosures when a subscriber is unavailable, clarifying who may authorize sharing location information in emergencies.
Consumers and people tracked by devices: location data can be disclosed to police without a warrant based on an officer's assertion of imminent risk, reducing baseline privacy protections against location tracking.
Vulnerable people and the public: the 'reasonable suspicion' / officer-assertion standard and reliance on claimed consent efforts could be misused or lead to overbroad or unnecessary location requests.
Consumers across different states: because disclosures can occur under varying state laws, privacy protections will be uneven and depend on where a person is located, creating unequal safeguards.
Based on analysis of 4 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 2, 2026 by Derek Schmidt · Last progress March 2, 2026
Requires providers of electronic communication services to promptly disclose available device location information to law enforcement officers or public safety answering points in specific emergency situations, subject to consent rules and recordkeeping requirements. Adds statutory definitions for key terms, sets a prioritized order for next-of-kin when seeking consent, and specifies conditions that must be asserted by the requesting officer to justify expedited disclosure. Requires agencies to keep a record of each request (including the officer's name, a declaration of conditions met, a description of the request, and how consent was obtained or attempted). The law takes effect upon enactment and does not override state laws that already require such disclosures.