Home › News ›

AT&T Agrees to Pay $25 Million Over Privacy Debacle

Apr 8, 2015, 12:19 PM by Eric M. Zeman

AT&T today agreed to pay the FCC a fine of $25 million in order to settle an investigation into consumer privacy violations at its call centers. The data breaches, which took place in early 2014, exposed the personal data of some 280,000 AT&T customers at call centers in Mexico, Colombia, and the Philippines. The FCC found that customers' names, Social Security details, and private account information were accessed by call center workers who turned around and provided those details to unauthorized third parties trafficking in stolen cell phones. In addition to the fine, AT&T agreed to notify the affected customers, provide credit score monitoring services, and improve its privacy and data security practices by appointing a senior compliance manager. "As the nation's expert agency on communications networks, the Commission cannot — and will not — stand idly by when a carrier's lax data security practices expose the personal information of hundreds of thousands of the most vulnerable Americans to identity theft and fraud," said FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. The FCC said it has fined telecommunications providers some $50 million in the last 12 months over lapses in security and privacy policies.

Related

Samsung Refreshes Galaxy S Series with S Pen, New Cameras

Feb 9, 2022
Samsung today announced its lineup of flagship phones for 2022: the Galaxy S22 series. The top-end S22 Ultra sees the biggest changes as it essentially absorbs Samsung's Note series with an integrated S Pen stylus and a more Note-like shape and design, instead of the Contour Cut design of the other models.

Samsung Refines its Foldable Phones

Aug 10, 2022
Samsung has announced its newest generation of foldable phones: the Galaxy Z Fold4 and Galaxy Z Flip4. Both have similar designs and features compared to their predecessors, with a slew of small updates and refinements across the board.

iPhone 14 Plus Offers a Big Screen For Less

Sep 7, 2022
Apple has revealed the iPhone 14 series, with new features, improved specs, and new size options. In place of a Mini option, the iPhone 14 will come in the same 6.1-inch and 6.7-inch screen size options as the Pro models.

Sony's Newest Compact, High-End Phone is the Xperia 5 IV

Sep 1, 2022
Sony has a new edition of the Xperia 5, its smaller sibling to the flagship Xperia 1 series. As Sony is known for making its own high-quality camera sensors, Xperia phones focus on photography and video, and this new model is no exception.

Verizon Continues Updating Rugged Lineup with Sonim XP10

Jul 20, 2023
Verizon has launched the Sonim XP10, a rugged smartphone with a wide range of features for field workers and "workers in dangerous environments". Just last week, Verizon launched the Kyocera DuraForce Pro 3, a similar but higher-end rugged smartphone.

more news about:

Comments

This forum is closed.

This forum is closed.

PhoneMan23

Apr 8, 2015, 4:51 PM
edited

Huh?

Why does the FCC get the $25 Million and not the victims of the privacy leak? Where would that money go besides padding the wrong people's pockets.... 🤨

mobilemadness

It's called corrupt. You're right, the victims should be getting a big cut of that fine, but instead it will go to the government coffers. The victims get screwed and AT&T paid a fine that's like $25 to you and me.

Page 1 of 1