Legislation Seeks to Prohibit Sale of Cell Phone Records

Follow-up to yesterday’s posting, Stronger Safeguards Sought As Cell Records Sold on Web – two related press releases on new legislation to protect the privacy of cell phone logs which are available for sale online.

  • press release: “Today U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer introduced legislation to combat the growing black market of cell phone call logs stolen and sold by criminals. The bipartisan Consumer Telephone Records Protection Act of 2006, is being introduced with Senators Arlen Specter (R-PA) and Bill Nelson (D-FL), and it will criminalize the practice of both stealing and selling these records for cell phone, landline and voice over Internet protocol (VOIP) subscribers…
  • press release: “U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today introduced legislation to prohibit the sale, fraudulent transfer or use of cellular telephone records. Durbin’s bill would make it illegal to transfer personal information from cell phone companies to online brokers and the legislation provides tough criminal penalties, including up to 10 years in prison, for those found guilty of violating phone users’ privacy…The fraudulent acquisition of records needs to be punishable as a true criminal offense, subject to jail time and fines. The sale and transfer of this information needs to be clearly prohibited by law.”
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    Posted in: Congress, E-Commerce, Legislation, Privacy
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