TelecomTV TelecomTV
  • News
  • Videos
  • Channels
  • Events
  • Directory
  • Smart Studio
  • Surveys
  • Debates
  • Perspectives
  • DSP Leaders World Forum
  • DSP Leaders
  • Great Telco Debate
    • |
    • Follow
    • |
    • Subscribe
  • |
  • More
  • Webcasts
  • Surveys
  • Debates
  • Perspectives
  • Great Telco Debate
  • |
  • Follow TelecomTV
  • |
    • Subscribe
    • |
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Follow TelecomTV
  • About
  • Privacy
  • Help
  • Contact
  • Sign In Register Subscribe
    • Subscribe
    • Sign In
    • Register
  • Search

Privacy

Privacy

AT&T flogged location data to all-comers, now it's being sued

Nick Wood
By Nick Wood

Jul 17, 2019

via Flickr © Mark Justine Corea (CC BY 2.0)

via Flickr © Mark Justine Corea (CC BY 2.0)

  • Swisscom: Sorry we deleted some files from our cloud storage service
  • Google: We spy on Google Home users and we're mad about being caught
  • AT&T: Hold my beer and watch this

AT&T has been taken to court over historic accusations that, far from being a responsible custodian of its mobile customers' personal data, it sold their real-time location to seemingly anyone who wanted it, without their knowledge or consent.

Is this a new low for the industry? It certainly feels like a new low.

When a Swisscom customer uploads their files to the myCloud online storage service, and then a software error accidentally deletes some of those files, that's bad, of course. That said, it was an accident.

When someone buys a Google Home smart speaker, and it transpires that Google routinely listens in, even though you haven't activated it by saying "OK Google", that's worse. Then again, it's also a bit naïve to think a company with Google's reputation won't mercilessly collect all your data. No one forced you to bug your own house. Similar rule applies to Amazon these days, too.

When Facebook agrees to pay $5 billion to settle an investigation into how and why it exposed the data of 87 million of its members to a political consultancy tasked with influencing voters on behalf of a presidential candidate, that's also very bad. However, with Facebook, you get what you pay for, which is nothing, ergo you're the product.

But when a telco, one that is privy to its subscribers' real-time location for reasons of public safety – but has pledged to be responsible with it – is revealed to have willingly sold your exact location to third parties, who then make it available to pretty much anyone... Well, you can understand why it feels like a new low.

"Despite vowing to its customers that it does not 'sell [their] personal information to anyone for any purpose,' AT&T has been selling its customers' real-time location data to credit agencies, bail bondsmen, and countless other third parties without the required customer consent and without any legal authority," reads the class action lawsuit filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation on behalf of AT&T customers.

"Defendants' sale of their customers' real-time location data is a violation of plaintiffs' reasonable expectations of privacy," the suit says. "Plaintiffs' expectation is reflected in widely held social norms and enshrined in state and federal law, including in the federal Communications Act, which requires AT&T to protect customers' location data precisely because it is in a privileged position to know this information as a byproduct of operating a cellular phone service."

It is worth remembering that the original investigation into all this revealed that Sprint and T-Mobile also allegedly engaged in the same shady practice.

A little unsolicited advice for telcos wanting to transform from crawling CSP caterpillar into beautiful DSP butterfly: there's a line between good DSP practice and bad DSP practice. Judging by what's in the lawsuit, it looks like certain folks at AT&T might have poured petrol all over this line, set it on fire, then danced maniacally through the flames.

Related Topics
  • Analysis & Opinion,
  • Announcement,
  • AT&T,
  • Facebook,
  • Google,
  • Mobile,
  • News,
  • North America,
  • Privacy,
  • Telco & CSP

More Like This

Digital Platforms & Services

Father of the Web advocates personal data ownership

Jan 11, 2021

Digital Platforms & Services

Facebook will be judged on competition grounds: Whether Zuck sucks is neither here nor there

Dec 10, 2020

AI, Analytics & Automation

Mobile operators could see revenues from digital identity services rise eightfold by 2025

Dec 9, 2020

Digital Platforms & Services

DoJ cuts to the chase in landmark Google antitrust case

Sep 28, 2020

Security

A browsing history is like a fingerprint - very easily identifiable

Sep 2, 2020

Email Newsletters

Stay up to date with the latest industry developments: sign up to receive TelecomTV's top news and videos plus exclusive subscriber-only content direct to your inbox – including our daily news briefing and weekly wrap.

Subscribe

Top Picks

Highlights of our content from across TelecomTV today

On-demand Workshop: How to build your cloud native 5G core platform

16:48

The case for mmWave in 5G networks

25:55

The Private Mobility Opportunity for Enterprises

12:04

VMware learnings from DISH 5G rollout

  • TelecomTV
  • Decisive Media

TelecomTV is produced by the team at Decisive Media

Menu
  • News
  • Videos
  • Channels
  • Directory
  • Smart Studio
 
  • Surveys
  • Debates
  • Perspectives
  • Events
  • About Us
Our Brands
  • TelecomTV Tracker
  • TelecomTV Perspectives
  • DSP Leaders
  • DSP Leaders World Forum
  • The Great Telco Debate
Get In Touch
[email protected]
+44 (0) 207 448 1070

Request a Media Pack

Follow
  • © Decisive Media Limited 2021. All rights reserved. All brands and products are the trademarks of their respective holder(s).
  • Privacy
  • Terms
  • Legal Notices