Supreme Court Upholds FCC Fines for Carriers Over Location Data Sales
TL;DR
The Supreme Court, in an 8-1 decision, upheld the FCC’s power to fine AT&T, Verizon, and, by extension, T-Mobile for mishandling and selling real-time location data, ruling that fines can proceed without a jury trial; carriers faced about $100 million in penalties split between AT&T (~$57M) and Verizon (~$47M), with similar sums tied to related actions against T-Mobile. Chief Justice Roberts wrote for the majority, while Justice Thomas dissented, arguing the process could have allowed a jury trial. The ruling strengthens privacy enforcement but underscores how slowly accountability unfolds in data-misuse cases.
- AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile all sold your location data and the Supreme Court just ruled PhoneArena
- Supreme Court Backs F.C.C. Power to Levy Fines Against Cellphone Carriers The New York Times
- AT&T and Verizon lose Supreme Court case over fines for selling location data Ars Technica
- US supreme court backs FCC in clash with wireless carriers over fines The Guardian
- US Supreme Court backs federal regulators in wins for FCC and SEC Reuters
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