Monday, February 05, 2007

Gov't Balks at Phone Privacy Provision

Gov't Balks at Phone Privacy Provision | Chron.com - Houston Chronicle: "Federal regulators working on rules to secure the calling records and other private information of telephone customers are running into resistance from phone companies and law enforcement agencies.

The rules, an effort by the Federal Communications Commission to combat 'pretexting,' are circulating among the commissioners for comment and may be voted on this month.

Pretexting is the practice of impersonating a phone customer to gain access to his phone records. President Bush signed a law last month criminalizing the practice and imposing penalties including up to 10 years in prison.

The issue gained prominence last year when executives of the Hewlett-Packard Co. were charged with hiring private detectives who used the technique to investigate board members."

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