Carrier sales of phone-location data is illegal, FCC plans punishment (arstechnica.com)

Article summary

The FCC plans to punish carriers for selling phone-location data, which is considered illegal. The discussion revolves around the legality of sharing location data with government entities without a warrant. Carriers providing location data to the government is seen as a separate issue from selling it commercially. The Supreme Court has ruled that obtaining phone location data requires a warrant.

Main themes

• location data privacy
• government access to data
• commercial sale of data
• FCC regulation
• law enforcement surveillance
• Supreme Court rulings

What commenters say

• The government should not be allowed to access location data without a warrant, just like commercial entities are not allowed to sell it.
• There is a difference between the government accessing location data for emergency purposes and commercial entities selling it for profit.
• Some argue that the government is more trustworthy with location data than commercial entities, while others disagree.
• The sale of location data by carriers is a violation of users' privacy and should be punished.
• The distinction between government access to location data and commercial sale of it is not always clear-cut.
• Some believe that the government will find ways to circumvent laws and regulations to access location data, even if it is illegal.
• The legality of law enforcement using Stingray devices to obtain location data is a separate issue from carriers selling location data.
• Punishments for carriers selling location data may not be effective due to potential leniency from the FCC.