...The Massachusetts State Police app, which was unveiled Sunday and is rolling out formally later this week, will have a function MSP officials say no other law enforcement agency is using: Push Notification with Geo-fencing. This will enable state police to immediately notify residents with real-time alerts that are geographically configured. You will need to allow push notifications and use of location data when prompted to use this feature.
One thing that is important to know right now, however, is that allowing location data in no way violates the app user's privacy rights,” officials said in a statement released Sunday morning. “We do not have the ability -- nor the desire -- to track individual users, and nor will we ever use our app to do so in the future. The sole purpose of the MSP application is to deliver information related to public safety and the department...
http://salem.patch.com/groups/polic...tts-state-police-introduce-new-smartphone-app
SCOTUS has previously ruled it a 4th amendment violation for the government to place a gps tracking device on a citizen's vehicle without obtaining a warrant. Now, MSP is asking people to download its public safety App and allow for the sharing of location data from your smartphone with MSP. Basically, the equivalent of consenting to a search in my view.
Of course, allowing sharing of location data does not violate your privacy rights! You are voluntarily pushing it to them. There is no need for them to pull it from the device. Call me cynical, but what could possibly go wrong with giving MSP this access to your phone?!?