WASHINGTON, D.C.—FCC chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel has released responses from the nation’s 15 top mobile carriers to an FCC request for information about their data retention and data privacy policies and practices and directed the agency to launch a new investigation into mobile carriers’ compliance with FCC privacy rules.
“Our mobile phones know a lot about us,” Rosenworcel said in a statement. “That means carriers know who we are, who we call, and where we are at any given moment. This information and geolocation data is really sensitive. It’s a record of where we’ve been and who we are. That’s why the FCC is taking steps to ensure this data is protected” and “I have asked the Enforcement Bureau to launch a new investigation into mobile carriers’ compliance with FCC rules that require carriers to fully disclose to consumers how they are using and sharing geolocation data.”
Rosenworcel also noted that “if you, as a consumer, have concerns or complaints about how your provider is handling your private data, the FCC is making it easier for you to file complaints and make your concerns known—so we can take action under the law.”
Consumers can now directly file privacy complaints or share concerns about how providers are handling their information on the FCC’s website here.
Responses by the mobile carriers to the FCC requests for information are available here.
