Your cell phone may not be as private as you think. Law enforcement authorities are tracking many of us without our knowledge, and cell phone carriers know all about it.

Cell phone companies reported 1.3 million demands for customer information for law enforcement in 2011, according to reports in the New York Times.

The revelation marks the first time these figures have been made available.

Law enforcement is seeking texts, phone call locations, and other data from users' cell phones, according to reports.

Some wireless carriers turn over data "thousand of times" a day, it was reported.

Members of Congress marveled at the mounds of data turned over to police and other investigators.

"I never expected it to be this massive," said Rep. Edward Markey of Massachusetts.

Typically, wireless carriers require a court order in order to be compelled to turn over a customer's cell phone data.

Still, increasingly carriers will relinquish data more quickly if cops declare it an "emergency."

According to Trevor Tim of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, law enforcement agencies are asking for GPS, contacts, and other the data. When asked for it, cell phone carriers, like AT&T and Verizon, are giving it away without your permission.

"There's actually what's called cell phone tower dumps. They're going after one person, but get information on anyone who was around a cell phone taken at a certain time, even though they're investigating one person, they have information on hundreds or thousands of people," says Timm. "It's really dangerous, even for people who are completely innocent, their information could be getting taken by the government, and used in all sorts of ways they don't know about."

If this makes you angry, or concerned, or both, there is something you can do. There is a bill in congress now called the "GPS Act," and it would require a warrant for any request of cell phone information before that information can be collected. If you're worried, contact your local legislator, about the GPS Act.

(Information courtesy NBC News)