The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has fined the top US wireless carriers a total of $200 million for sharing customers' location information without consent, following a four-year investigation. Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile USA plan to appeal the decision, which dates back to the period of 2014-2017 when carriers sold customer data to third parties. The FCC imposed fines based on outdated programs no longer in place, stirring regulatory uncertainties regarding the security and privacy of customer data
Carriers argue that the data sharing was for location-based safety services like roadside assistance, but the FCC Chairwoman criticized their failure to protect customer information. The carriers contend that the FCC's order is flawed, as the programs in question were discontinued years ago. Despite their statements, the carriers intend to challenge the fines through legal appeals, raising concerns about data privacy regulation and enforcement in the telecommunications industry. ```https://www.darkreading.com/cyber-risk/fcc-fines-wireless-carriers-200m-for-sharing-location-data