The third largest mobile telephone operator in the U.S., Sprint Nextel, has filed a lawsuit against All Star Investigations alleging that the firm fraudulently accesses and sells private telephone records on its sites detectivesusa.com, miamiprotection.com and privatedectivesusa.com.
A Sprint Nextel representative announced that specialists from the company are carrying out an investigation to ascertain how All Star managed to gain access to private telephone records. The telephone operator is certain that it was done illegally.
This is not the first legal action taken by telecommunications companies against firms selling private data. On Jan. 24 the Verizon Wireless corporation filed a suit against 1st Source Information Specialists, demanding an immediate injunction to halt the Web site's sale of private telephone details. Verizon alleges that several companies have attempted to gain access to its clients' records using dishonest methods such as calling the customer services department and introducing themselves as Verizon employees.
Another legal action was launched on Jan. 28, also by Sprint Nextel, against four units of 1st Source Information Specialists for allegedly stealing and selling private customer records. The corporation demanded an immediate cessation of the 1st Source Information sites' work. Only a few days earlier a third mobile telecom operator – Cingular Wireless – managed to halt the work of some 1st Source Information sites.
The current focus on the problem is a direct result of recent reports detailing just how easy it is to buy the telephone records of almost any U.S. subscriber. For a few dollars it is possible to find out whom exactly someone has been phoning, for how long and how often. One journalist even reported how he managed to buy a list of calls made by former U.S. presidential candidate General Wesley Clark for just $100.
All the legal problems facing 1st Source Information are likely to have a knock-on effect on All Star. Telephone operators who feel they may have been targeted will make a show of maintaining their image and proving to their customers that privacy is a top priority, even taking companies like All Star to court if need be.
"Even if the court doesn't rule in favour of Sprint Nextel, and doesn't punish All Star, the telecom operator will gain a reputation for protecting privacy and will force those selling telephone records to curtail their activities, even if it's just for a short time. Also, at any moment the Federal Communications Commission or other regulatory bodies could get involved in the case in search of guilty parties, trying to improve their image," says Denis Zenkin, marketing director at InfoWatch.
Source: ComputerWorld
