FCC Imposes $200 Million Fine on Major U.S. Wireless Carriers for Illegal Data Sharing

The Federal Communications Commission has levied substantial fines against AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon for unauthorized sharing of customer location data.

The fines total nearly $200 million, with T-Mobile receiving the highest penalty of $80 million, followed by AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint.
Investigations revealed the carriers sold access to sensitive location data to third-party aggregators without customer consent.
Despite previous warnings, the carriers continued the practice, leading to significant privacy concerns.
All four carriers have announced plans to appeal the FCC's decision, arguing the fines are excessive and unwarranted.
The issue highlights ongoing challenges in protecting consumer data privacy in the telecommunications sector.