Today, the Federal Communications Commission released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update data breach reporting requirements for telephone services. The proposed rules would strengthen the agency’s requirements for notifying consumers and federal law enforcement following discovery of a breach involving customer proprietary network information (CPNI). Public Knowledge applauds the Commission for this important, bipartisan effort to keep our personal telephone data safe, and ensure timely notice to law enforcement and the public of any breach.
The following can be attributed to Harold Feld, Senior Vice President of Public Knowledge:
“While most people think about data privacy as an internet thing, our phones and phone information remain some of our most sensitive personal information. We use our phones for things we wouldn’t dream of saying in an email or in a text. Our mobile phones stay with us 24/7, and report back our location to the phone company so calls can find us. Even those who try to preserve their privacy by refusing to download apps or give apps permission to access their location, or go so far as to only use a flip phone, must give up sensitive information to the phone company as the price of making a phone call.
“We applaud Chairwoman Rosenworcel for her continuing efforts to protect the privacy of our phone information. A lot has changed in the 15 years since the FCC adopted the existing rules, and it is high time the Commission’s rules reflect these changes.”
Members of the media may contact Communications Director Shiva Stella with inquiries, interview requests, or to join the Public Knowledge press list at shiva@publicknowledge.org or 405-249-9435.