Wyden Requests Carrier Details About 3rd-Party Location Sharing Consent

The big four wireless carriers should describe if and how third parties gained consent for collecting and sharing user location data (see 1901160044), Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., wrote the companies Thursday, doubling down on questions posed in May. His letter to AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile CEOs requested data-sharing information about Oregon customers. He asked for records showing third parties obtained customer consent, what procedures are used for gaining consent and if third parties misrepresented consent agreements. He claimed the carriers didn't provide complete answers to the same questions in May, and asked for a response by Feb. 15: “You and your lawyers seem to prioritize corporate secrecy over transparency about how your customers’ information has been shared without their knowledge.” AT&T referred to a previous statement detailing how the company is winding down location data agreements. The other carriers didn’t comment Friday.