Senator Charles Schumer is calling for a federal investigation into Clear Channel’s latest effort to target billboard ads to specific consumers.  CBSNews is reporting that Schumer has dubbed Clear Channel Outdoor Americas’ RADAR program “spying billboards,” warning the service may violate privacy rights by tracking people’s cell phone data via the ad space.

Clear Channel argues that characterization of its program is inaccurate, insisting it only uses anonymous data collected by other companies. In a statement, company spokesman Jason King said the RADAR program is based on a years-old advertising technique that “uses only aggregated and anonymized information” from other companies that certify they’re following consumer protection standards.

Senator Schumer feels an investigation into the company is necessary because most people don’t realize their location data is being mined, even if they agreed to it at some point by accepting the terms of service of an app that later sells their location information.

But the company, which operates more than 675,000 billboards throughout the world, argues that characterization of its program is inaccurate, insisting it only uses anonymous data collected by other companies.

The FTC did not immediately respond to CBSNew’s requests for comment.

Insider’s Take: Let’s hope that with some education the Senate decides they have better things to do with their time.

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