It should be said that the above comment was typed by me when we were live streaming . I spoke of a variety of instances where the authorities at hand were able to share the information needed to locate us . At least by the accounts of our friends , upon asking t mobile for Mashas ' s last cell ping , they were told they would need the request to come from LAPD . Our LAPD officer did not comply and the request was not made . Quite similar stories revolve around the Naval training facilities with 100 ' s of planes about 50 miles away . Border patrol knew about my cars location for several days . Tuesday or Wednesday . Civilian based affairs need federal permission that was not properly requested . Meanwhile there is a time sensitive search and rescue that is not able to function without participation . I would like to think pointing a shameful finger at those who did this would be effective in preventing this from happening again . Obviously that doesn ' t do much at all . In my opinion , any progress preventing this kind of governmental let down would likely be an approach that avoided all need for interaction outside of the private sector . If cell providers could be exempt from any liability from disclosing our information more easily , they would be more inclined to get involved willingly . We have discussed creating an app to resolve this , at least at first , on a individual user basis . A basic form program permitting the terms of ones information disclosure ' in case of emergency ''. To whom , and then whom else if not available . Anyone with permanent permission . Police report needed ? Non relative ? Always on , like find my iPhone , or selectively off or of different terms . Etc . I think this would be an effective step towards equipping the private sector with the information they needed to have saved my life . As cell location pinging is about as detailed as is needed for a search to begin , the private sector already has the best technology for the job . without having to need the technology often found through various authorities or federal agencies . seems like a better chance of a win for the missing person .