AT&T says it will stop selling all location data from mobile phones to brokers following a report that companies are still selling that information to shadowy companies without customer knowledge.
Last year, AT&T and other carriers pledged to stop providing location information to data brokers. But AT&T made an exception for useful services that, for instance, help customers with roadside assistance or fraud protection. Now the company says it will also end those sales in March.
“Last year we stopped most location aggregation services while maintaining some that protect our customers, such as roadside assistance and fraud prevention. In light of recent reports about the misuse of location services, we have decided to eliminate all location aggregation services—even those with clear consumer benefits,” an AT&T spokesman told Cnet.
The move follows a Tuesday report on Vice’s Motherboard site that showed how bounty hunters can track phone locations using carrier data.
“AT&T did not respond to Motherboard’s request to elaborate on why it has decided to block those data uses as well,” Motherboard reported.
“But it may be due to how difficult this industry has proven to police: several parts of the data supply chain were all unaware of the particular case of abuse taking place before Motherboard informed them. Clearly, there is an issue with companies keeping tabs on how customers’ location data is being used, and who it is ending up with.
“Last year we stopped most location aggregation services while maintaining some that protect our customers, such as roadside assistance and fraud prevention. In light of recent reports about the misuse of location services, we have decided to eliminate all location aggregation services—even those with clear consumer benefits,” an AT&T spokesman told CNET in a statement.
Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden has been pushing mobile providers to end location-data sales. He said Thursday that Congress needs to pass legislation to ensure they come to a halt.
“In several different tweets posted after Motherboard’s investigation, T-Mobile CEO John Legere reiterated that the company is also going to cut off all location aggregators, and that T-Mobile plans to have finished that process in March,” Motherboard reported Thursday.
