Excellent, simple FCC site showing law forbidding your info release.

[Justice Is Comin]

All you need to call your carrier. Ask them which one of the three did they choose to legally sell your information? You got em right by the nuts.



What Information Does Your Telephone Company Collect?

Your local, long distance and wireless telephone companies collect information such as the numbers you call and when you call them, as well as the particular services you use, such as call forwarding or voice mail. Telephone companies collect this customer information, sometimes called Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI), so they can provide the services you have requested and send you bills for this service.


What Can Your Telephone Company Do With This Information?

Both a law passed by Congress and Federal Communications Commission rules impose a general duty on telephone companies to protect the confidentiality of your customer information. Telephone companies may use, disclose, or permit access to your customer information in these circumstances: (1) as required by law; (2) with your approval; and (3) in providing the service from which the customer information is derived.

FCC rules require your telephone company to disclose your customer information to any person you designate if you make a request in writing. Your telephone company may use your customer information, without your approval, to market enhancements to services you already use. For example, if you purchase basic local telephone service from a telephone company, it does not need your approval to use your customer information to try to sell you voice mail or caller ID services. However, if you ask your telephone company to put your residential telephone number on its company-specific do-not-call list, it cannot legally make these calls.

If your telephone company uses your customer information for other marketing, it must obtain your approval to do so. The company may request your approval orally, in writing, or electronically. The request must contain specific disclosures about how your telephone company will use your customer information. The company can request your approval using one of two methods:


http://www.fcc.gov/cgb/consumerfacts/phoneaboutyou.html ... Happy annihilating :nuke:

[havocmom]

1. Possibly the most useful post of the week!

Thank you. :evilgrin:

[AndyA]

2. Wonderful information - thank you very much! n/m

[Lugnut]

3. K&R

This one's a keeper. Thank you.

[Supersedeas]

11. another K&R

[Pacifist Patriot]

4. I'm surprised lawyers haven't jumped on the class action suit yet.

Could that be far behind?

[Quiet_Dem_Mom]

5. But, we did consent! Sarcasm and link to Raw Story/WaPo article

:sarcasm:

From WaPo article:

One government lawyer who has participated in negotiations with telecommunications providers said the Bush administration has argued that a company can turn over its entire database of customer records -- and even the stored content of calls and e-mails -- because customers "have consented to that" when they establish accounts. The fine print of many telephone and Internet service contracts includes catchall provisions, the lawyer said, authorizing the company to disclose such records to protect public safety or national security, or in compliance with a lawful government request.

"It is within their terms of service because you have consented to that," the lawyer said. If the company also consents, "and they do it voluntarily, the U.S. government can accept it."


http://www.rawstory.com/news/2006/Government_lawyers_say_Americans_consented_to_0512.html

[Kagemusha]

6. But it's not a lawful government request, is it?

It's a government request, yes, but since the request is not in compliance with the law, it is not lawful, as Quest made clear.

[Justice Is Comin]

8. The FCC law

says as "required " by law. Not as a request by law. If they were required, then ask them to show you their subpoenas.

Also, if it was legally required, Qwest would have had no choice but to turn theirs over. It was something all the other companies did for profit.

These companies don't have a leg to stand on. ...The law is the Telecommunications Act of 1996.

[Mr_Spock]

9. OK, and I can break that contract upon termination of service

Which, of course, I will be doing very shortly.

Bastards. :mad:

[Justice Is Comin]

10. They are in

hot lava temperature water my friend. You will see that when they take the witness chairs.

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Wouldn't the Patriot Act over ride that other law?

[Kagemusha]

13. The Patriot Act still has protections for this data. They were broken

Ok, the protections may not be as strong as we would like, but the administration broke even those protections.

Therein lies the problem.

[yellerpup]

12. Everyone needs to know this.

Thanks for putting it out there.