FCC, Tracfone Wireless reach $16M cyber and privacy settlement | CyberScoop<\/title> <meta name=\"description\" content=\"The agency\u2019s settlement with the prepaid phone provider, which CyberScoop is first to report, is the first ever to specify API protections.\"> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"FCC, Tracfone Wireless reach $16M cyber and privacy settlement\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The agency\u2019s settlement with the prepaid phone provider, which CyberScoop is first to report, is the first ever to specify API protections.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-07-22T17:03:50+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-07-22T17:03:51+00:00\"> <meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-2.jpg\"> <meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1024\"> <meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"683\"> <meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"Tim Starks\"> <meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\"> <meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@timstarks\">  <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=1721147539g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"all-css-6\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-content\/mu-plugins\/search\/elasticpress\/dist\/css\/related-posts-block-styles.min.css?m=1721117550g\" 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=1721183474g\" type=\"text\/css\" media=\"all\">\n<link rel=\"stylesheet\" id=\"typekit-css\" href=\"https:\/\/use.typekit.net\/itk2qbh.css?ver=ada0ad45b21fc79c6694\" media=\"all\"> <link rel=\"https:\/\/api.w.org\/\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/\"><link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"JSON\" type=\"application\/json\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/81104\"><link rel=\"EditURI\" type=\"application\/rsd+xml\" title=\"RSD\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/xmlrpc.php?rsd\">\n<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"WordPress 6.6\">\n<link rel=\"shortlink\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=81104\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (JSON)\" type=\"application\/json+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Ffcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement%2F\">\n<link rel=\"alternate\" title=\"oEmbed (XML)\" type=\"text\/xml+oembed\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/wp-json\/oembed\/1.0\/embed?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcyberscoop.com%2Ffcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement%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-81104 single-format-standard\" id=\"readabilityBody\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement\/#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=\"26.451793721973\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"32.520833333333\">\n<p> The agency\u2019s settlement with the prepaid phone provider, which CyberScoop is first to report, is the first ever to specify API protections. <\/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=\"427\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement.jpg?resize=640%2C427&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" fetchpriority=\"high\" srcset=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-2.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-2.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-2.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-2.jpg?resize=600,400 600w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-2.jpg?resize=252,168 252w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-2.jpg?resize=505,337 505w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-2.jpg?resize=1012,675 1012w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1012px) 100vw, 1012px\"><figcaption> Jessica Rosenworcel, Chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission testifies during a House Energy and Commerce Committee Subcommittee hearing on March 31, 2022. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch\/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=\"33.681076438591\"><body readability=\"69.428571428571\"><\/p>\n<p>The Federal Communications Commission has reached a $16 million settlement with prepaid phone provider Tracfone Wireless over its privacy and cybersecurity practices.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s the first FCC settlement ever to have specific conditions directing a company to secure application programming interfaces, which allow computer systems to communicate with one another, according to a commission spokesperson.<\/p>\n<p>The settlement, which CyberScoop is first to report, stems from three data breaches that involved exploiting API vulnerabilities of the Verizon-owned carrier between January 2021 and January 2023, which exposed the sensitive personal information of customers. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cCarriers \u2014 and the customer information they have access to \u2014 are prime targets for threat actors,\u201d Loyaan A. Egal, chief of the FCC Enforcement Bureau and chair of the Privacy and Data Protection Task Force, said in a statement. \u201cThe Commission takes matters of consumer privacy, data protection, and cybersecurity seriously, including in the context of emerging security issues.\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>Egal said the FCC\u2019s investigation and its consent decree with Tracfone makes clear \u201cthat API security is paramount and should be on the radar of all carriers.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Tracfone did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Verizon bought Tracfone in November 2021. Tracfone offers phones under a variety of brand names, such as Walmart Family Mobile.<\/p>\n<p>Prepaid wireless phones, sometimes referred to as \u201cburners\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.recharge.com\/blog\/en\/us\/difference-between-a-prepaid-cell-phone-and-a-burner-phone\">depending on their features<\/a>, have been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/story\/how-to-use-burner-phone\/\">hailed as a privacy tool<\/a>. Tracfone is not alone in the market, however, for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bleepingcomputer.com\/news\/security\/mint-mobile-discloses-new-data-breach-exposing-customer-data\/\">suffering data breaches<\/a> that <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/att-data-breach-snowflake\/\">expose customer data<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The settlement comes on the heels of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fcc.gov\/document\/fcc-fines-largest-wireless-carriers-sharing-location-data\">$200 million fine<\/a> the FCC dished out in April to the nation\u2019s largest wireless carriers for illegally sharing customer location data.<\/p>\n<p>The FCC said that the Tracfone breaches led to unauthorized access of sensitive customer information known as \u201ccustomer proprietary network information\u201d or CPNI, a category that includes the date, time and length of phone calls, as well as the number a caller was trying to reach.<\/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>Section 222 of the Communications Act dictates that telecommunications carriers must protect their customers\u2019 sensitive data, and the settlement resolves an FCC investigation into whether Tracfone reasonably did so.<\/p>\n<p>The $16 million settlement comes with conditions Tracfone must meet, including securing API vulnerabilities as outlined by widely accepted industry standards, such as those specified by the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Tracfone also must get outside assessments of its information security program and train personnel on privacy and security awareness.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Commission has made clear that it expects telecommunications carriers to take \u2018every reasonable precaution\u2019 to protect their customers\u2019 proprietary or personal information,\u201d the FCC said. \u201cThe Commission has also adopted rules that require carriers to take reasonable measures to discover, report, and protect against attempts to access CPNI without authorization.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"7.7216117216117\">\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\/07\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Tim Starks\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"author-card__details\" readability=\"10.901098901099\">\n<h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Tim Starks<\/h4>\n<p> Tim Starks is senior reporter at CyberScoop. His previous stops include working at The Washington Post, POLITICO and Congressional Quarterly. An Evansville, Ind. native, he’s covered cybersecurity since 2003. Email Tim here: <a href=\"mailto:tim.starks@cyberscoop.com\">tim.starks@cyberscoop.com<\/a>. <\/div>\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<\/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-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement\/\">Source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>FCC, Tracfone Wireless reach $16M cyber and privacy settlement |<\/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":[135,2371,441,1500,268,310,29,2372,2373],"tags":[138,2374,445,1502,274,311,37,2375,2376],"class_list":["post-4573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-api","category-cellphones","category-fcc","category-federal-communications-commission","category-privacy","category-technology","category-telecommunications","category-tracfone","category-verizon","tag-api","tag-cellphones","tag-fcc","tag-federal-communications-commission","tag-privacy","tag-technology","tag-telecommunications","tag-tracfone","tag-verizon"],"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\/api\/\" rel=\"category tag\">API<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/cellphones\/\" rel=\"category tag\">cellphones<\/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\/federal-communications-commission\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Federal Communications Commission<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/privacy\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Privacy<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/technology\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Technology<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/telecommunications\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Telecommunications<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/tracfone\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Tracfone<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/category\/verizon\/\" rel=\"category tag\">Verizon<\/a>","tag_info":"Verizon","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\/4573","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=4573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}

{"id":4573,"date":"2024-07-22T12:03:50","date_gmt":"2024-07-22T17:03:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=81104"},"modified":"2024-07-22T12:03:50","modified_gmt":"2024-07-22T17:03:50","slug":"fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/07\/22\/fcc-tracfone-wireless-reach-16m-cyber-and-privacy-settlement\/","title":{"rendered":"FCC, Tracfone Wireless reach $16M cyber and privacy settlement"},"content":{"rendered":"