BELLEVUE, Wash.-T-Mobile USA Inc. and Verizon Wireless each separately filed lawsuits against online data brokers they believe are obtaining and selling customer call records.
T-Mobile USA filed a lawsuit, which seeks to halt such activities, in King County, Wash., Superior Court against Locatecell.com and related entities. Verizon Wireless filed a similar suit in New Jersey. Verizon Wireless filed suit last year on the same topic, and managed to obtain a restraining order against the offenders. Cingular Wireless L.L.C. obtained a restraining order Jan. 13.
T-Mobile USA, Cingular and Verizon Wireless say they support federal legislation to outlaw pretexting-impersonating a customer to obtain call records.
A representative of Verizon Wireless is expected to appear later today with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and retired Army General Wesley Clark in support of Schumer’s legislation that would outlaw pretexting.
Schumer’s legislation has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee said today he will continue to meet with the Federal Communications Commission to determine what legislation is necessary on the topic.
The issue is also moving to the state level.
Illinois filed suit against First Source Information Specialist Inc., which sells cell-phone records on locatecell.com, datafind.org and peoplesearchamerica.com.
Bills have also been introduced in the Illinois General Assembly making it illegal for phone companies or data brokers to sell or release call records, or to impersonate a customer to obtain call records.
First Source is also the target in another suit by the state of Missouri. The Missouri attorney general is seeking a restraining order to stop First Source from obtaining and selling cell-phone records.
CTIA recently commented that it believes consumer-protection laws already on the books are sufficient.
Both the FCC and the Federal Trade Commission are investigating what enforcement actions can be taken on the issue. The FCC has issued citations to two companies for not supplying it with requested information.
The issue broke loose after a CBS Evening News story criticized the wireless industry’s efforts to protect customer call records from online data brokers.
