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Stop Selling My Cell Phone Records

Target: House of Representatives; Senate
Sponsored by: Consumers Union

You'd think that YOUR cell phone records would be considered privy information for only you and your cell phone company to access. Think again. Now there's a fast emerging business that sells your information to anyone willing to pay a quick $100.

How? Crooked companies have taken to calling your cell phone companies, pretending to be you in order to glean information about your account. It's called "pretexting" and there are no strong laws in place to protect you from it.

For just 100 bucks, these companies will provide to anyone a report of all the incoming and outgoing calls from your cell phone, or toll calls from your regular phone. Anyone, without your permission, can view a list of people you talk to, their phone numbers, and the length and time of the call.

This information is deeply private for most of us - but can be used by stalkers, nosey neighbors, and political or business opponents to do us harm.

While cell phone companies have no legal incentive to stop this practice, Consumer's Union is leading the charge to demand that Congress take action to protect consumers like you and me.

Join them now to call for laws that will make it illegal for anyone to buy or sell your phone records, or to pretend to be you in order to get them.

deadline: 5-16-2007
goal: 50,000

33,086
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Dear Decision Maker,

Right now, for as little as a $100 my personal phone records are vulnerable.

I urge you to enact tough new legislation to prohibit the release, acquisition, and sale of private calling records and to require strong new carrier safeguards to prevent unscrupulous parties from accessing that information. It's simply not enough to prohibit pretexting because there will always be those who will flout the law. It's critical that phone companies implement strict internal security measures so that those who try to pretext won't be successful. I am rightfully concerned that stalkers, identity thieves, and data-brokers can access information I believed was kept private and secure by my telephone company.

A meaningful solution to the now well-publicized problem of "pretexting" and other unscrupulous or illegal means of obtaining third-party private phone records requires:

- Explicit prohibition on "pretexting" and the sale of wireline, wireless and VoIP phone records.

- Strong enforcement powers for Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission, including tough criminal and civil penalties for unlawfully obtaining or selling phone records and failing to safeguard customer's records.

- Mandatory consumer notice when calling records have been requested or provided to any party.

- Strengthened mandatory phone company obligations to implement more stringent internal safeguards to prevent release of private records, with tough penalties for noncompliance.

- Prohibitions on phone company release of their customers' phone records without the express written consent of the customer.

Finally, it is critical that any new federal safeguards not preempt more stringent state laws and regulations protecting consumers' calling records.

Thank you for protecting my personal privacy!

Sincerely,

We signed the “Stop Selling My Cell Phone Records” petition!

# 33,115:

1:27 pm PST, Feb 3, Vicky Chen, Virginia

# 33,114:

10:30 am PST, Jan 22, Kenneth M. Kennedy, Connecticut
Protection of privacy is one clear issue not to mention the vulnerability we all feel presently with the advent of new technologies invading our personal financial circumstances and family life.

# 33,113:

8:17 am PST, Jan 19, Raymond Tuley, California
please stop allowing big money to erode my civil rights and the constitution!

# 33,112:

4:05 pm PST, Jan 12, K Rowland, Tennessee

# 33,111:

6:29 am PST, Dec 19, Joseph Klawiter, Virginia

# 33,110:

7:01 pm PST, Dec 8, John J Stroebel, Wyoming
Are you all crazy? OF COURSE this info needs a WARRANT!!!!

# 33,109:

6:02 pm PST, Dec 2, Name not displayed, Alaska

# 33,108:

8:31 pm PST, Nov 26, Lori Weiner, California

# 33,107:

10:25 am PST, Nov 19, Name not displayed, Tennessee
Dear Lawmakers, We, the American citizens pay our hard earned money for cell phones and the use of them. When the numbers are sold and businesses start calling our numbers, we are charged $$ for each call. This is unfair and not right! Please, implement laws to stop our cell phone records and numbers from being sold!

# 33,106:

6:15 pm PST, Nov 16, Name not displayed, New Jersey

# 33,105:

10:03 am PST, Nov 16, Leslie Fox, Texas
This is Invasion of Privacy and is illegal ... Stop it Now !!! ... Just say NO to Big Brother !!!

# 33,104:

5:47 pm PST, Nov 13, Eileen Hartvigsen, Colorado
Cell phone records are no different than financial records. They are both private and privledged information.

# 33,103:

11:52 am PST, Nov 10, Name not displayed, North Carolina

# 33,102:

9:06 am PST, Nov 2, Jacqueline Peipert, Illinois

# 33,101:

1:22 pm PDT, Oct 28, Name not displayed, Florida
Isn`t this called Fasicm?

# 33,100:

1:38 pm PDT, Oct 25, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
Privacy is a constitutional right.

# 33,099:

3:10 am PDT, Oct 24, Rita Ison, Connecticut
To all political candidates, Please be aware that there is NO WAY, NO HOW will I ever vote for you if you call my cellphone and cost me money!!!! I am beyond annoyed with all the campaigning that I am receiving at 25 cents per minute due to roaming charges. Come on people, you must be more intelligent than that!!! The fact that you are using this form of political spamming confirms my opinion that you are NOT fit for office! It is proof that you think nothing of wasting my time AND my money!!!!

# 33,098:

3:50 pm PDT, Oct 23, Charlene Root, California

# 33,097:

12:47 pm PDT, Oct 21, Gary Annable, Pennsylvania
freedomtofasicm.com realityzone.com infowars.com

# 33,096:

11:56 am PDT, Oct 19, Christine Pierce, West Virginia
Please stop this practice.

# 33,095:

11:05 am PDT, Oct 19, Name not displayed, Ohio

# 33,094:

10:30 am PDT, Oct 19, Name not displayed, Washington

# 33,093:

8:55 am PDT, Oct 19, Demetra Mihalopoulos, New York

# 33,092:

7:52 am PDT, Oct 19, Jane Simpson, Massachusetts

# 33,091:

6:21 am PDT, Oct 19, Patricia Slovinsky, Ohio
I want my privacy kept private. My phone records should be kept private. Would congress like their phone records made public?

# 33,090:

1:18 am PDT, Oct 19, Angela Bobst, Arizona

# 33,089:

11:40 pm PDT, Oct 18, Jennifer Gallinat, Michigan

# 33,088:

6:22 pm PDT, Oct 18, Iris Davidson, Florida

# 33,087:

5:24 pm PDT, Oct 18, Name not displayed, California
Cell phones are *different* from the past... we now PAY (in minutes) for the calls that come to us without consent. Why should I be subjected to stolen minutes from soliciters & marketing calls?!?!

# 33,086:

3:30 pm PDT, Oct 18, Deborah Brown, West Virginia

# 33,085:

2:58 pm PDT, Oct 18, Name not displayed, Georgia

# 33,084:

2:32 pm PDT, Oct 18, Terese Erving, Maine
whatever happened to privacy?

# 33,083:

1:27 pm PDT, Oct 18, Kelsey Torres, Georgia

# 33,082:

12:41 pm PDT, Oct 18, Gina Candelori, North Carolina

# 33,081:

12:30 pm PDT, Oct 18, Name not displayed, Alaska

# 33,080:

8:14 am PDT, Oct 18, Patricia Wozniak, New York

# 33,079:

8:11 am PDT, Oct 18, Name not displayed, Massachusetts

# 33,078:

7:37 pm PDT, Oct 17, Marg Wood, Florida

# 33,077:

5:24 pm PDT, Oct 17, Name not displayed, Virginia

# 33,076:

3:16 pm PDT, Oct 17, Heather Ray, Idaho

# 33,075:

7:30 am PDT, Oct 17, Casey Bochum, Illinois

# 33,074:

2:56 am PDT, Oct 17, Karen Decker, California

# 33,073:

9:39 pm PDT, Oct 16, Nick Sym, Canada

# 33,072:

9:15 pm PDT, Oct 16, Name not displayed, Illinois
Please stop

# 33,071:

9:03 pm PDT, Oct 16, Name not displayed, Iowa

# 33,070:

8:29 pm PDT, Oct 16, Lynda Korenstra, Indiana

# 33,069:

7:52 pm PDT, Oct 16, Hollie Spruill, Texas

# 33,068:

1:21 pm PDT, Oct 16, Gael Howatt, Massachusetts
Just want to be American.

# 33,067:

8:59 am PDT, Oct 16, Name not displayed, Georgia

# 33,066:

5:44 am PDT, Oct 16, Kimberly Thill, Iowa

# 33,065:

11:00 pm PDT, Oct 15, Ximena Andrade, Mozambique

# 33,064:

9:36 pm PDT, Oct 15, Hannah Sanders, California

# 33,063:

6:47 pm PDT, Oct 15, Name not displayed, Pennsylvania
why is it ok for you to invade our lives. & if we do it we go to jail. what makes you so right? & i think you need to ask us befor you feel like doing things your way . this is not burger king you can't have it your way. not when it comes to my priacey. have you not herd of the hippa laws!

# 33,062:

6:11 pm PDT, Oct 15, Casey Grant, Florida
Is nothing private anymore? Why should we (who pay for incoming and outgoing calls) pay to be harrassed?

# 33,061:

4:59 pm PDT, Oct 15, Jody Connolly, Illinois

# 33,060:

1:18 pm PDT, Oct 15, Alexandra Marrero, Mississippi

# 33,059:

12:04 pm PDT, Oct 15, Fran Howse, Oregon

# 33,058:

11:50 am PDT, Oct 15, Barbara Cody, California

# 33,057:

9:23 am PDT, Oct 15, Katherine Heizer, Kentucky
Goes against our constitutional rights...

# 33,056:

2:48 am PDT, Oct 15, Name not displayed, Colorado

# 33,055:

7:37 pm PDT, Oct 14, Kirk Mcvittie, Michigan

# 33,054:

3:59 pm PDT, Oct 14, Jerilyn Merideth, Mississippi
MY INFORMATION IS NOT FOR SELL! IF IT IS SOLD I WANT MY MONEY!

# 33,053:

2:30 pm PDT, Oct 14, Debbie Franklin, Ohio
It uses up my minutes without my permission.

# 33,052:

8:42 pm PDT, Oct 13, Name not displayed, Wisconsin

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Stop Selling My Cell Phone Records

This petition has been closed.