Security News > 2020 > February > Your mobile network broke the law by selling location data and may be fined millions... or maybe not, shrugs FCC

The chair of the House Energy and Commerce Committee - which oversees the FCC - Frank Pallone issued a statement: "Following our longstanding calls to take action, the FCC finally informed the Committee today that one or more wireless carriers apparently violated federal privacy protections by turning a blind eye to the widespread disclosure of consumers' real-time location data. This is certainly a step in the right direction, but I'll be watching to make sure the FCC doesn't just let these lawbreakers off the hook with a slap on the wrist."

For her part, Commissioner Rosenworcel put out a statement saying: "For more than a year, the FCC was silent after news reports alerted us that for just a few hundred dollars, shady middlemen could sell your location within a few hundred meters based on your wireless phone data."

We asked the FCC:. Why it feels unable to say the number of mobile operators that have broken the law.

Whether the FCC investigation has been completed or if it waiting on feedback from the mobile operators.

In truth, the FCC letter was likely only sent - on the last day of January - because FCC chair Pai had promised Congress to send some kind of response by January at the latest.

News URL

https://go.theregister.co.uk/feed/www.theregister.co.uk/2020/02/04/fcc_location_data/