US cell carriers have extensive knowledge of their clients' whereabouts. They have been known to preserve location data for years, and voluntarily turn it over to law enforcement upon legal demand, and claim that consumers cannot opt out, according to letters submitted to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
The 15 biggest American mobile carriers responded to letters sent to them in July requesting information on their data sharing and retention practices, according to a memo written by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel and published last week. This contains information on people's movements as tracked by their gadgets.
Rosenworcel said that:
Carriers know who we are, who we call, and where we are at any given moment. That data is a sensitive record of not only a person's travel but also their identity,.. the FCC is taking steps to ensure this data is protected.
In their letters, all of the cell phone service providers state that they no longer sell customers' location information to outside parties. However, they do point out that the same data is still being kept on file and that, even if data brokers are no longer permitted to negotiate on behalf of their clients, records can still be turned over to law enforcement or other government agencies without the client's consent, usually.
Cell-site-level data, which might disclose a customer's approximate location at any given time, is stored in AT&T's records for five years, although T-Mobile US keeps similar records for two years. While smaller network operators UScellular and C-Spire also save geolocation data for 18 months, Verizon retains cell site data for a year.
The providers stated that they had complied with all subpoenas in each case and that they only tell clients of this in certain situations, such as civil litigation cases.
In comparison to their rivals, Verizon and T-Mo did divulge a little bit more information, including the specifics of two unique cases of location data sharing. Regarding Verizon, the corporation specifically said that law enforcement may get a warrant requiring Verizon to furnish "cell tower dumps," which comprise the numbers of all devices linked to a single tower over a specified duration.
Rosenworcel announced in a news release that she was requesting the FCC Enforcement Bureau to begin a fresh probe into whether or not mobile carriers were adhering to FCC regulations mandating carriers to fully disclose their use and sharing of location data.
It is uncertain if consumer complaints or an inquiry of this kind would result in fines similar to those imposed on carriers in 2020. It is also unclear how effective such an investigation would be.
Telecommunications companies stated in the letters that they were making every effort to provide data only as required by law. That may very well be demonstrated by an investigation, or it may turn up infractions that would ideally force the business to change its ways.
References:
- Rosenworcel Shares Mobile Carrier Responses to Data Privacy Probe