Verizon will stop selling customer location data to aggregators

Last month, Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) sent letters to Verizon, AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, asking who they share their customers' location data with and whether those companies obtain customer consent. The move came after reports revealed that a service provided by Securus Technologies -- a company previously reported to have allowed prisons to record calls between inmates and their lawyers -- let a fo rmer Mississippi County sheriff track the cellphones of other officers and a judge without court orders. All four carriers have now replied to Wyden and Verizon has pledged to end its practice of selling location data through intermediary companies.

In its letter, Verizon said that it provides location data through two aggregators -- LocationSmart and Zumigo. They then give other companies access to their location-based services that utilize Verizon's and other carriers' data. Those types of services can include routing calls to the right facility, fraud prevention and vehicle tracking. Verizon told Wyden that not only had it suspended Securus' access to its customer location data, it had also decided to end its arrangements with LocationSmart and Zumigo. "Verizon has notified these location aggregators that it intends to terminate their ability to access and use our customers' location data as soon as possible," the company wrote.

Verizon will still provide data to companies offering services like fraud prevention and call routing, but it won't do so through aggregators. "Verizon will work with aggregators to ensure a smooth transition for these beneficial services to alternative arrangements so as to minimize the harm caused to customers and end users," said Verizon.

AT&T also noted that it works with LocationSmart while T-Mobile told Wyden it works with LocationSmart and Zumigo. Sprint didn't share which firms it works with. However, aside from ending agreements with Securus, none of the other three carriers said they would make changes similar to Verizon's. "Verizon deserves credit for taking quick action to protect its customers' privacy and security," Wyden said in a statement. "After my investigation and follow-up reports revealed that middlemen are selling Ame ricans' location to the highest bidder without their consent, or making it available on insecure web portals, Verizon did the responsible thing and promptly announced it was cutting these companies off. In contrast, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint seem content to continuing to sell their customers' private information to these shady middle men, Americans' privacy be damned."

Other issues with Securus include a data breach and Wyden asked the FCC to investigate the company in May. Last month, LocationSmart leaked real-time location data on its website, spurring the FCC to take action just a day later.

Via: Associated Press

Source: Ron Wyden



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