Three U.S. senators introduced in the senate a bill that would make obtaining phone records under false pretences illegal. The bill comes as a response to the growing media focus on the sale of cell phone records. According to the bill there will be criminal penalties both for acquiring customer information either by a company or an individual and for selling such information by carrier employees without a proper authorization. Under the cover of this legislation come mobile phone, landline as well as VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) subscribers. FCC has already launched an investigation into online sites offering for sale the personal phone records. The main focus of their investigation is to check whether wireless carriers adhere to the existing legislation which prohibits them from using or disclosing proprietary customer information without the customer's approval.
Source: InfoWorld
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: