Method of invoking privacy on telecommunications network

A network element for providing information on the location of user equipment in a packet-switched telecommunications network in response to location service requests received from location service clients, wherein

• said network element is responsive to such location service request for causing, at least in part, sending to a user equipment to be located, a privacy request prompting the user of said user equipment to accept or reject the specific location service request, said network element being arranged to send the privacy request directly to the user equipment so that elements belonging to a group comprising a gateway support node, a service support node, a mobile switching centre, a home location register, a radio network controller, and a base station controller are not involved in a signalling exchange of the privacy request;
• and
• said network element is arranged to provide the location information to said requesting client responsive to a privacy response of said user equipment, if said location service request is accepted in said privacy response, and to reject said location service request otherwise.

A method comprising:

• receiving a privacy request at a user equipment to be located, via a packet-switched network, said privacy request prompting the user of said user equipment to accept or reject a specific location service request, wherein the privacy request is received directly from a location service centre so that elements belonging to a group comprising a gateway support node, a service support node, a mobile switching centre, a home location register, a radio network controller, and a base station controller are not involved in a signalling exchange of the privacy request;
• causing at least in part, sending of a privacy response from said user equipment via the packet-switched network, to the location service center, wherein the privacy response indicates acceptance or rejection of the location service request by the user of said user equipment.