U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has issued a revised informed compliance publication (ICP) entitled, "What Every Member of the Trade Community Should Know About: Gaskets." According to CBP, this revised ICP is a study of the classification of gaskets of differing materials.
ChoicePoint will pay $10 million in a civil penalty and $5 million for a consumer redress fund to settle FTC charges the firm violated federal laws through careless screening and information security procedures. The firm admitted last year that financial records on 145,000 consumers -- now up to 163,000, the FTC estimates -- were compromised by “fraudsters” posing as firms with “permissible purposes” for getting the records (WID March 7 p8). The settlement, the largest in agency history, should warn data brokers and others to “guard the front door… as well as guard the back door” to protect sensitive personal information, or face harsh financial and regulatory consequences, Chmn. Deborah Majoras told a press conference Thurs.
FTC Chmn. Deborah Majoras said it was illegal to obtain cellphone records from telecom firms under false pretenses, known as pretexting, in a press conference Thurs. Meanwhile, the FCC is poised to vote on a cellphone record rulemaking at its Feb. meeting and more legislation is emerging on Capitol Hill.
Cingular said it obtained a restraining order from a federal court in Atlanta, stopping information broker eFindOutTheTruth.com from obtaining and selling customer records. The order specifically prohibits employees of the company from using the name or identity of any Cingular employee or customer for any purpose. “Data brokers should know that Cingular will persist in its aggressive fight to protect customer privacy,” said Joaquin Carbonell, gen. counsel.
Cingular said it obtained a restraining order from a federal court in Atlanta, stopping information broker eFindOutTheTruth.com from obtaining and selling customer records. The order specifically prohibits employees of the company from using the name or identity of any Cingular employee or customer for any purpose. “Data brokers should know that Cingular will persist in its aggressive fight to protect customer privacy,” said Joaquin Carbonell, gen. counsel.
Senate Commerce Committee Chmn. Stevens (R-Alaska) wants to move “as quickly as possible” to hearings on legislation to guard consumer phone record privacy, he told media Tues. after a hearing on broadcast flag legislation. Stevens’ statement came as Verizon Wireless filed suit in N.J. against owners of data brokering firm Locatecell.com. And in several states attorneys gen. are moving against data brokers for improperly selling cell and other phone records, as the FCC and FTC run their own investigation (CD Jan 24 p1).
The FCC’s focus in a probe into cellphone data sales remains on wireless carriers and their privacy procedures, sources said Mon. That’s despite disclosure Fri. the Commission subpoenaed owners of 2 websites that sell cellphone customer data and despite the FCC’s working with the FTC on the matter. Fri., the FCC brought together major wireless carriers to discuss how they protect customer records (CD Jan 23 p1). The issue heated up Mon., as T-Mobile filed suit in Wash. state under criminal profiteering laws, pursuing firms the carrier says traffic in cell records.
Mich. Gov. Jennifer Granholm (D) asked the PSC to investigate whether telecom providers in the state have sold or supplied customer account information to information brokers and other commercial interests without informing customers. She also called for state legislation to prohibit release or sale of customer information without the customer’s consent. Her proposal would make unauthorized release of account information a crime, and would also make it a crime to obtain telecom customer account information from carriers under false pretenses. Carriers also would be required to put safeguards on account information and notify customers of any security breaches or unauthorized information releases.
In November 2005, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issued a general notice advising Customs brokers that the Triennial Status Report Fee of $100 that is assessed for each license held by a broker whether it may be an individual, partnership, association, or corporation, is due during the month of February 2006 (i.e. by February 28, 2006) along with the corresponding status report.