Patent ID: 8838131

Claim:
A method for determining the identity of a user associated with a wireless device located near a geographic location at a specific time, the method comprising: receiving an authorization from users to have geographic locations associated with their wireless devices be made available to entities, wherein the authorization from users specifies an event that automatically triggers to have the geographic locations associated with their wireless devices be made available to entities in response to the occurrence of the event; in response to an occurrence of the event specified by the users at a specific location, finding wireless devices that provided the authorization to have geographic locations associated with their wireless devices be made available to entities, wherein the wireless devices were proximate to the specific location of the event; and generating a list of users of wireless devices located within a predefined distance from a specific location associated with the event within a period of time, wherein the list includes identifying information for each of the users; and based on consent received from the users in response to alerts communicated to the wireless devices, transmitting the list to the entities, wherein the alert requests release of geographic locations of the users.