US FCC to investigate mobile carrier use of consumer geolocation data

A person uses a mobile phone as the crowd grows in Times Square ahead of New Year’s Eve celebrations as the Omicron coronavirus variant continues to spread in the Manhattan borough of New York City, US, December 31, 2021. REUTERS/Stefan Jeremiah

WASHINGTON, Aug 25 (Reuters) – The Federal Communications Commission said Thursday the agency will investigate mobile carriers’ compliance with rules requiring carriers to fully disclose to consumers how they are using and sharing geolocation data.

“Our mobile phones know a lot about us. That means carriers know who we are, who we call, and where we are at any given moment. This information and geolocation data is really

sensitive,” FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said. “That’s why the FCC is taking steps to ensure this data is protected.”

In July, Rosenworcel asked the 15 top mobile carriers including Verizon, AT&T (TN) and T-Mobile (TMUS.O) for information about their data retention and data privacy policies and practices. The FCC released the responses Thursday.

Reporting by David Shepardson

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