Sen. Durbin's Bill Would End Sale of Cell Phone Call Records

Today, Sen. Durbin introduced legislation to prohibit the sale, fraudulent transfer or use of cellular telephone records. Sen. Durbin's bill would make it illegal to transfer personal information from cell phone companies to online brokers and provides tough criminal penalties -- up to 10 years in prison -- for those found guilty of violating phone users’ privacy.

“The acquisition and sale of an individual’s personal cell phone call list record is a violation of privacy, and can pose a real threat to personal safety,” Durbin said. “The fraudulent acquisition of records needs to be punishable as a true criminal offense, subject to jail time and fines. The sale and transfer of this information needs to be clearly prohibited by law.”

There is more in the press release.