Privacy is not dead! As consumers, you should care about the confidentiality and privacy of the personal information collected, used, retained and disclosed by communications and financial services providers.

Your local, long distance and wireless telephone companies, and Voice over Internet Provider (VoIP) collect information about you (e.g., phone numbers called; the frequency, duration, and timing of such calls; and any services purchased by the consumer, such as call waiting).  This customer information is termed” Customer Proprietary Network Information” (CPNI), and is used by these companies to provide the services you have requested and to send you bills for them.  CPNI includes some of the most sensitive personal information that carriers and providers have about their customers as a result of their business relationship.

Both the Communications Act and FCC rules impose a general duty on telephone companies and VoIP providers to protect the confidentiality of your customer information. Telephone companies and VoIP providers 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.

When there is an unauthorized disclosure of your customer information, please contact the Law Office of Laurel G. Yancey, P.C., to discuss the filing of an informal or formal complaint with the FCC. Parties filing formal complaints usually are represented by lawyers or experts in communications law and the FCC’s procedural rules. You can call the Law Office of Laurel G. Yancey, P.C. at 888.659.7715 or contact our firm online to schedule a free initial consultation.

Companies retaining sensitive personal information about customers or employees in their files or on their network should establish privacy policies as part of a sound security plan. Collecting only what is needed, keeping it safe, and disposing of it securely will assist in fulfilling your legal obligations to protect sensitive data.

The Federal Trade Commission requires companies to safeguard the privacy of consumer personal information, and to maintain security for sensitive consumer information.

As an IAPP certified CIPP/US Privacy Professional, Laurel G. Yancey offers competency in privacy and data protection law and practice, and assistance with information security and data breach practices. Please call 888.659.7715 or contact our firm online.