FCC: Wireless Carriers Violated Federal Law by Sharing Consumer Location Data

[Macaholic868]

Well I’m done with AT&T. I switched to them to buy the original iPhone when it was first released and stayed because I had a buddy who worked at an AT&T store 20 minutes away from my house who would set aside a new iPhone on launch day that I could roll in and buy whenever but somehow in the town I live in their signal has gotten worse and I don’t deal with companies who do crap like this. I’m paying AT&T more than enough money on a monthly basis for them to make one hell of a profit. Selling my location data is a violation of basic privacy rights. If you’re doing that I need to know and my bill needs to be 25 - 50 percent less.

 

[itsmilo]

Kind of ironic how you guys pay a fortune for phone services in the first place and on top they sell your data to make even more money out of you

 

[Morgenland]

'to third-party companies like LocationSmart and Zumigo, with those companies then passing it along to bounty hunters, bail bondsmen, and more.'
Why do just the providers of information ('and more') come into focus? It's a diversionary tactic. Snoden has made us smarter! The perpetrators and seducers might be more interesting than the henchmen (Location grabbing, VideoChat-ID etc)...
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(...) I would love to see a judge get creative and also tack on a provision that says the CEO and all the Sr. VPs of those companies have to share their real-time location online for the next 12-24 months just to ensure they understand why customers don't like having our data sold.

Apps for free to 'find my friends'

 

[Teammm]

I'm ready for the class action lawsuit and my $2 settlement check.

 

[ThunderSkunk]

Kind of ironic how you guys pay a fortune for phone services in the first place and on top they sell your data to make even more money out of you

Everything is like that in this country. You’ve got to take every opportunity to abuse every bit of power you have, otherwise the competition will. ...which is an interesting way for a country to crumble, considering how many times during the Cold War the big unacceptable problem with the Soviet Onion was pitched as, their type of gov concentrates too much power in the hands of too few. Our entire culture and economic model now runs on the pursuit of concentrating absolute power in the hands of a few, with no regard for law. We love abuses of power. ...because we’ve all been told that someday if we comply really hard and click our heels together, it’ll be our turn holding the whip. The bigger the better. It is The American Way. Coming soon to a country near you.

 

[HEK]

Should be noted that just because your actions are found to be unlawful, it does not necessarily mean that justice will be followed through. $ speaks volumes politically in the US

Only actual jail time, years for executives, CEO, CFO etc. would deter this. Fines are just cost of business

 

[MacBH928]

When the individual commits a crime, he gets seriously punished for it
when a corporation commits a crime, they get a slap on the wrist

 

[FairlyKors]

This seems to be a massive breach of constitutional rights (speaking from the perspective of those targeted by bounty hunters). This is straight out of a dystopian sci-fi novel from the 1980s. Quite literally I believe.

 

[Brien]

Kind of ironic how you guys pay a fortune for phone services in the first place and on top they sell your data to make even more money out of you

Not that it excuses the behavior but I am pretty sure EVERYONE does it.

 

[4jasontv]

I think a $1000 fine would be enough. Just make sure it's applied per customer per day.

Remember when the RIAA would claim injury for every person they claimed you seeded a song to? It's how they went after 14 year old kids for billions of dollars. Apply that logic. Charge them for each person who had access (not just those who did access) per customer per day.

 

[CJ Dorschel]

Hmm... Since it's Pai, I'm betting the letter cites one or more of not Verizon.

Don't even get me started on this admin's horrendous changes. I'm still reeling from the FCC's Net Neutrality repeal in 2017. I watch my Spectrum and Verizon bills skyrocket in the US while my telecom bills in Germany and the UK are nothing by comparison and there are more choices. Seeing this news just confirms what we anticipated and the FCC is just teeing up 2020 election talking points as nothing will come of this.

 

[fairuz]

I've cared about this far more than any other privacy breach in the past few years. Glad something is being done about it.

 

[cjamescook]

The more interesting question is regarding those in custody due to bounty hunters using illegally gathered and sold data to capture them. Should they now be let go again?

 

[paul4339]

Companies executives don’t care too much about fines to the companies they work for... it’s ‘just’ shareholders money. It hasn’t stopped them in all these years.

if we want a more effective means to create a behavior change, we have to:

- Remove their ability to hold office or executive position in any public traded company
- fine heavily them personally - send them to the poorhouse (ie middle-class)
- send them to jail... and not ‘club fed’ jail.

furthermore, other than company fines, I don’t things will change much until embarrassing location data of lawmakers, politicians, and judges are leaked and published... when it’s the data of citizens that are sold off, lawmakers don’t act... When their own data is sold off to their political enemies or to their embarrassment, they will care.

 

[Tech198]

Problem is, they only raise prices...again.

Losing their license after not complying with laws would go much farther.

-----

1st time: get a warning
2nd time: fine of 10% of annual profit revenue
3rd time: fine of 50% of annual profit revenue
4th time: fine of 100% of annual profit revenue
5th time: lose license

There shouldn't be a 3rd time, not even a 2nd time..

The rules are clear...

When ISP's violates rules by "misleading adverting" all they get is a slap on the wrist and a huge fine...

No license lost..

Desperate times calls for desperate measures. How much longer can people keep saying "Sorry, i'll never do that again"

 

[justperry]

There shouldn't be a 3rd time, not even a 2nd time..

The rules are clear...

When ISP's violates rules by "misleading adverting" all they get is a slap on the wrist and a huge fine...

No license lost..

Desperate times calls for desperate measures. How much longer can people keep saying "Sorry, i'll never do that again"

While I mostly agree with your your post, I think mine wasn't to bad, maybe loose a licence on the third time is better than 5 time.