WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Senate Commerce Committee on
Thursday approved legislation to protect consumers' telephone records
by making it illegal to sell such information without consent. The
measure would boost penalties to as much as $30,000 per incident and up
to $3 million for continuing violations by telephone companies that
fail to properly safeguard consumer information. The bill would
also require carriers to inform consumers if their information was
accessed without permission and let companies and individuals sue when
their records are illegally obtained. Similar legislation in the
U.S. House of Representatives would increase fines to as much as
$300,000 per violation and a maximum of $3 million for continuing
incidents. Both measures are in response to a wave of concerns
about Internet sites offering to obtain consumers' phone records for a
nominal fee. Investigations are underway by the Federal Communications
Commission, Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys' general.
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