FCC takes $200 million bite out of wireless carriers for sharing location data | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"The Federal Communications Commission levied nearly $200 million in fines against four telecommunications giants Monday following an agency investigation that concluded the companies had sold location data of customers without their consent.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fcc-fines-wireless-carriers-200-million\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FCC takes $200 million bite out of wireless carriers for sharing location data\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Federal Communications Commission levied nearly $200 million in fines against four telecommunications giants Monday following an agency investigation that concluded the companies had sold location data of customers without their consent.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fcc-fines-wireless-carriers-200-million\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-04-29T21:32:09+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-04-29T22:29:42+00:00\"> <meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg\"> <meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"3000\"> <meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"2037\"> <meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"djohnson\"> <meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\">  <link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/securepubads.g.doubleclick.net\">\n<link rel=\"dns-prefetch\" href=\"\/\/use.typekit.net\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/feed\/\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/rss+xml\" title=\"CyberScoop \u00bb Comments Feed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/comments\/feed\/\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-2\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-includes\/css\/dist\/block-library\/style.min.css?m=1712700738g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-6\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/search\/elasticpress-next\/dist\/css\/related-posts-block-styles.min.css?m=1713212140g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-8\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/themes\/scoopnewsgroup\/dist\/css\/frontend.css?m=1712858261g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\">\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"typekit-css\" href=\"https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/itk2qbh.css?ver=74528d75ce0daeb8628a\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"https:\/\/api.w.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/\"><link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/json\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/80284\"><link rel=\"EditURI\" type=\"application\/rsd+xml\" title=\"RSD\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/xmlrpc.php?rsd\">\n<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"WordPress 6.5.2\">\n<link rel=\"shortlink\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=80284\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"application\/json+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Ffcc-fines-wireless-carriers-200-million%2F\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" type=\"text\/xml+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Ffcc-fines-wireless-carriers-200-million%2F&format=xml\">   <link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=32\" sizes=\"32x32\">\n<link rel=\"icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=192\" sizes=\"192x192\">\n<link rel=\"apple-touch-icon\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=180\">\n<meta name=\"msapplication-TileImage\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2023\/01\/cropped-cs_favicon-2.png?w=270\"> <\/head><body class=\"post-template-default single single-post postid-80284 single-format-standard\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fcc-fines-wireless-carriers-200-million\/#main\" class=\"skip-to-content-link visually-hidden-focusable\">Skip to main content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"26.528532608696\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"31.30081300813\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/government\/\"> <span>Government<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> The FCC said T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T and Verizon sold customers\u2019 location data and outsourced user consent requirements. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"435\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data.jpg?resize=640%2C435&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg 3000w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=300,204 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=768,521 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=1024,695 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=1536,1043 1536w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=2048,1391 2048w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=600,407 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=247,168 247w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=496,337 496w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=994,675 994w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-2.jpg?resize=1242,843 1242w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 994px) 100vw, 994px\"><figcaption> A worker climbs on a cellular communication tower on March 6, 2014 in Oakland, California. The U.S. Labor Department is asking mobile phone providers to increase safety training for crews who perform work on cell tower sites in the United States. According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), more tower site workers died in 2013 than in the previous two years combined and four workers have died in the first weeks of 2014. (Photo by Justin Sullivan\/Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"50.985588752197\"><body readability=\"103.1081660495\"><\/p>\n<p>The Federal Communications Commission levied nearly $200 million in fines against four telecommunications giants Monday following an agency investigation that concluded the companies had sold location data of customers without their consent.<\/p>\n<p>The penalties include $80 million in fines for T-Mobile, $57 million for AT&T, $46 million for Verizon and $12 million for Sprint.<\/p>\n<p>Monday\u2019s fines against the carriers come as policymakers in Washington are increasingly grappling with <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/congressional-privacy-bill-looks-to-rein-in-data-brokers\/\">how to rein in<\/a> the collection and sale of Americans\u2019 sensitive data by so-called data brokers. The telecommunications firms targeted by the FCC are not out and out data brokers, but their access to and decision to sell sensitive data is representative of how sensitive information has become yet another commodity to be bought and sold. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThese carriers failed to protect the information entrusted to them,\u201d FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said in a statement. \u201cHere, we are talking about some of the most sensitive data in their possession: customers\u2019 real-time location information, revealing where they go and who they are.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The FCC is fining the companies for violating provisions of the Communications Act that require carriers to take \u201cevery reasonable precaution\u201d to protect the confidentiality of customer network proprietary information, including location data.<\/p>\n<p>Since 2007, federal regulations have required wireless carriers to get explicit consent of customers to opt-in to such data-sharing arrangements, but an FCC investigation found that in many cases, the four carriers had effectively outsourced that requirement to the companies who bought the data.<\/p>\n<p>All four companies had programs in place until at least 2019 that sold access to the location data of customers to two data aggregators, LocationSmart and Zumigo. Those companies in turn sold that data to dozens of different third-party location-based service providers and other businesses.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of seeking to gain direct consent from customers to opt-in to sharing their location, the carriers effectively outsourced the job to the companies they were selling the data to, passing that obligation down to location-based service providers through their own contracts. The FCC determined that this was insufficient to comply with federal requirements and that \u201ccontractual safeguards between a carrier and such a third party do not obviate the need for explicit customer consent.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Internal audits of the customer data-sharing program by AT&T identified numerous cases where the aggregators who purchased data failed to follow the carrier\u2019s information security requirements, as well as problems with record keeping and \u201ccompleteness\u201d of subscriber consent practices. The details of three additional audits were not shared with regulators.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Sprint claimed to have a similar auditing program in place to ensure that the aggregators that bought customer location data met security and privacy requirements, but the FCC stated there was no evidence that audits were actually conducted prior to 2018 \u2014 the same year a New York Times investigation revealed how a Missouri sheriff<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/10\/technology\/cellphone-tracking-law-enforcement.html\"> used data sold by the carriers<\/a> to track the location of a judge and state law enforcement officers, spurring a broader inquiry by the FCC. <\/p>\n<p>Spokespeople for the companies that were fined sharply criticized the FCC\u2019s decision to levy penalties against them. <\/p>\n<p>AT&T spokesperson Alexander Byers said in a statement that the FCC order \u201clacks both legal and factual merit\u201d and the company expects to appeal after a legal review.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt unfairly holds us responsible for another company\u2019s violation of our contractual requirements to obtain consent, ignores the immediate steps we took to address that company\u2019s failures, and perversely punishes us for supporting life-saving location services like emergency medical alerts and roadside assistance that the FCC itself previously encouraged.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>An unnamed T-Mobile spokesperson said in an emailed statement that the company halted sales of location-data to third-party aggregators five years ago and that the company intends to challenge the decision.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cWe take our responsibility to keep customer data secure very seriously and have always supported the FCC\u2019s commitment to protecting consumers, but this decision is wrong, and the fine is excessive.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Verizon spokesperson Rich Young said the company\u2019s program selling location based data has also been discontinued for half a decade and was \u201cintended to support services like roadside assistance and medical alerts.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIn this case, when one bad actor gained unauthorized access to information relating to a very small number of customers, we quickly and proactively cut off the fraudster, shut down the program, and worked to ensure this couldn\u2019t happen again,\u201d said Young in an email. \u201cUnfortunately, the FCC\u2019s order gets it wrong on both the facts and the law, and we plan to appeal this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Updated April 29, 2024: <\/strong><em>This article has been updated with statements from AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon. <\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.5197132616487\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"13\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Derek B. Johnson\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Derek B. Johnson<\/h4>\n<p> Derek B. Johnson is a reporter at CyberScoop, where his beat includes cybersecurity, elections and the federal government. Prior to that, he has provided award-winning coverage of cybersecurity news across the public and private sectors for various publications since 2017. Derek has a bachelor\u2019s degree in print journalism from Hofstra University in New York and a master\u2019s degree in public policy from George Mason University in Virginia. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__container\">\n<h2 class=\"popular-stories__title\"> More Scoops <\/h2>\n<p>  <\/div>\n<p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <\/p>\n<section class=\"latest-podcasts\">\n<h2 class=\"latest-podcasts__title\"> Latest Podcasts\t<\/h2>\n<\/section>\n<div class=\"top-categories\">\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Government<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Technology<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"top-categories__container\">\n<h3 class=\"top-categories__category-title\">Geopolitics<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/main> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--bottom \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"interstitial\" class=\"welcome__container\"> <button id=\"close-modal-1\" class=\"welcome__clickable_area\"><\/button> <\/p>\n<div class=\"welcome__ad_wrapper\">\n<p> <button id=\"close-modal-3\" class=\"welcome__continue-button\">Continue to CyberScoop<\/button> <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>   <\/body> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fcc-fines-wireless-carriers-200-million\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FCC takes $200 million bite out of wireless carriers for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[771,441,117,1955,1956,29],"tags":[772,445,119,1957,1958,37],"class_list":["post-3329","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-data-brokers","category-fcc","category-government","category-location-as-a-service","category-locationsmart","category-telecommunications","tag-data-brokers","tag-fcc","tag-government","tag-location-as-a-service","tag-locationsmart","tag-telecommunications"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":"","thumbnail":"","medium":"","medium_large":"","large":"","1536x1536":"","2048x2048":"","chromenews-featured":"","chromenews-large":"","chromenews-medium":""},"author_info":{"display_name":"Cyber Scoop","author_link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/author\/cyberscoop\/"},"category_info":"<a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/data-brokers\/\" rel=\"category tag\">data brokers<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/fcc\/\" rel=\"category tag\">FCC<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/government\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Government<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/location-as-a-service\/\" rel=\"category tag\">location-as-a-service<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/locationsmart\/\" rel=\"category tag\">locationsmart<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/telecommunications\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Telecommunications<\/a>","tag_info":"Telecommunications","comment_count":"0","jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3329","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3329"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3329\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3329"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3329"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3329"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":3329,"date":"2024-04-29T16:32:09","date_gmt":"2024-04-29T21:32:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=80284"},"modified":"2024-04-29T16:32:09","modified_gmt":"2024-04-29T21:32:09","slug":"fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/04\/29\/fcc-takes-200-million-bite-out-of-wireless-carriers-for-sharing-location-data\/","title":{"rendered":"FCC takes $200 million bite out of wireless carriers for sharing location data"},"content":{"rendered":"