FCC to Propose Fining AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile $200M for Sharing Customer Location Data

[MacRumors]

The United States Federal Communication Commission is expected to propose fining AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, and Sprint $200 million in total for improperly disclosing real-time customer location data, reports Reuters.

Proposed fines for the four major carriers in the United States could be announced as soon as tomorrow, and the carriers would have the chance to challenge the fines before they become final. The precise amount each company is fined could change, and could possibly increase.

The FCC in January confirmed that several wireless carriers in the U.S. violated federal law by failing to protect sensitive customer data that included real-time location information.

Carrier location selling practices were uncovered last year when Motherboard reported that Sprint, AT&T, and T-Mobile had been selling subscriber geolocation data to third-party companies like LocationSmart and Zumigo, with those companies passing the data along to bounty hunters, bail bondsmen, and more.

The FCC launched an investigation into the practices after the U.S. Committee on Energy and Commerce in November 2019 accused the FCC of "failing in its duty to to enforce the laws Congress passed to protect consumers' privacy."

Article Link: FCC to Propose Fining AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile $200M for Sharing Customer Location Data

 

[ignatius345]

$200M, divided three ways? This is pennies for these companies. They'll keep doing the same crap until they face real consequences.

 

[bulbousnub]

That's $400 million for the New T-Mobile

 

[CE3]

A light slap on the wrist.

 

[WiseAJ]

That's $400 million for the New T-Mobile

Its $200 million total between the four wireless companies. not $200 million each.

 

[bulbousnub]

Welp, my **** joke fell flat. Sorry all.

 

[rictus007]

Ok, but this will stop them from selling our location?

 

[Unity451]

That'll show em!

 

[itsmilo]

Despite for all the hate towards the EU around here, I am glad for our privacy laws.

 

[jpn]

sorry but total USD 200 million is not enough.
s/b about USD 1 billion each.

its about time that legal punitive damages for crimes committed by companies catch up with the 21st century.
make fines that approach bankruptcy level threats if companies engage in such practices.

 

[Carnegie]

This is the same government which argued less than 3 years ago that it could, without a warrant, compel those companies to give it that same user location data.

Thats‘s not to say that those companies should be allowed to sell that data. Their right to do so should hinge on whether their users have agreed to let them.

 

[Ael_MR]

And we will all be seeing a nice hidden itemized charge to pay for it. Until real action is taken they will continue abuse customers.

 

[Solomani]

$200M, divided three ways? This is pennies for these companies. They'll keep doing the same crap until they face real consequences.

Make it $2 billion.... and they won't do it again.

 

[Mick-Mac]

and they'll just pass this along to all their customers and we'll end up paying. It'll be done in dribs and drabs over several years, but we'll end up paying...

 

[Michael Scrip]

The sad thing is... we will be paying these companies $100/month for the rest of our lives.

But they still want more money. So they sell our data too.

Greedy jerks.

 

[tylersdad]

Guess who will pay these fines? Their customers.

 

[creathir]

Despite for all the hate towards the EU around here, I am glad for our privacy laws.

We have laws here in the US too...
This fine is a punishment for violating those laws, though I'd argue it should be $100 per subscriber affected per carrier.

 

[tylersdad]

Make it $2 billion.... and they won't do it again.

Sure they will. You don't think these companies actually pay their own fines, do you? Where do you think they get the money to pay fines? The get it from their customers. So the customers wind up paying, not the actual company.

 

[techwhiz]

It ought to be a billion.

 

[warp9]

It's like being fined $5 for not paying $20 in parking. This is clearly just the FCC making money. Nobody actually cares about the consequences.

 

[Arcus]

Here's a novel idea: Skip the fine and make them pay the people they screwed becuase it seems to me the only people who make out are the companies doing the screwing and the governing body who's doing the fining.
[automerge]1582841356[/automerge]

Guess who will pay these fines? Their customers.

Quite possibly already did pay.

 

[2010mini]

Kind of ironic that one Government agency wants software companies to put in backdoors to access customer data. And another is fining companies that mishandle customer data.

 

[The Barron]

Three guesses, no, one guess who's going to pay the fine in the end? BOO!

 

[stylinexpat]

Kind of ironic that one Government agency wants software companies to put in backdoors to access customer data. And another is fining companies that mishandle customer data.

Very ironic. Only ok for them to do so with the government. Same people who complain about China.
[automerge]1582843176[/automerge]

Guess who will pay these fines? Their customers.

Plan goes up $5 for a few months for 50 million users and they got their money back. $5 per month for 50 million users is $250 million per month. In 3 months they are ahead with good profit..

 

[B4U]

[sarcasm]Is that why they just jacked the bills up again?[/sarcasm]