FCC finalizes $196M in fines against telecoms for sharing location data
By 
Adrianne Appel2024-04-29T20:30:00
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) fined telecommunications giants T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon a total of approximately $196 million for allegedly selling customers’ location data to third parties without consent.
T-Mobile and AT&T immediately responded that they would fight the fines.
The cases for the penalties, pending since 2020, began with an investigation into reports the carriers were disclosing customer location data to a Missouri sheriff through a third-party location-finding service operated by Securus, which specialized in providing communication services to prisons. Securus was tracking specific people using the data provided by the carriers, the FCC said.
Related articles
-
News BriefGM sued by FTC for selling location and behavioral data without drivers' consent
General Motors failed to disclose to customers that it tracked their precise locations and driving behavior and sold the data to third parties, the Federal Trade Commission alleged in a proposed order.
-
News BriefFCC orders Sorenson unit to pay $34.6M over illegal data retention
Sorenson Communications agreed to pay $34.6 million and implement a comprehensive compliance program to settle allegations levied by the Federal Communications Commission that its subsidiary illegally retained call content of users who relied on captions to make and receive calls.
-
News BriefTexas touts team ‘among the largest in the country’ to enforce privacy laws
The state of Texas forecasted “aggressive enforcement” of its upcoming data privacy law with the announcement of a dedicated team to oversee its implementation.
More from Regulatory Enforcement
-
News BriefSEC reportedly investigating MassMutual’s accounting amid ongoing government shutdown
Even though the U.S. federal government is currently shut down, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission appears to still be at work. The financial regulator is reportedly investigating a major insurance and asset management company over its accounting practices.
-
News BriefAMLA: What difference will the agency make in the EU’s fight against moneylaundering?
Europe’s massive financial sector has become a magnet for illicit money flowing through its banks and markets. A new EU agency will be taking the problem head-on to fight against money laundering.
-
ArticleFormer startup CEO gets 7 years in prison for $175M fraud against JPMorgan Chase
Charlie Javice, a former CEO who duped JPMorgan Chase into purchasing her start up company for $175 million, has been ordered to forfeit more than $22 million by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and to spend 7 years in jail.