FCC Fines Major U.S. Wireless Carriers for Selling Customer Location Data – Krebs on Security

The FCC has imposed fines totaling nearly $200 million on major U.S. carriers including AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon for illegally selling customer location data without consent. This action concludes a lengthy investigation initiated by concerns from Sen. Ron Wyden and highlighted by security breaches reported by KrebsOnSecurity.

Despite the substantial fines, the penalties are considered minimal compared to the carriers' annual revenues, raising concerns about the effectiveness of such fines as deterrents. The carriers had continued to share data even after being warned, leading to widespread criticism regarding the adequacy of these measures in protecting consumer privacy.