AT&T and Verizon lose Supreme Court case over fines for selling location data
Summary
The Supreme Court ruled that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) can issue fines to companies like AT&T and Verizon for selling location data without user permission without violating the companies’ right to a jury trial. The court confirmed that the fines are not binding until enforced by a court, preserving the FCC’s ability to investigate and impose penalties.Key Facts
- AT&T and Verizon were fined a total of $104 million in 2024 for selling customers’ real-time location data without consent.
- The fines were issued by the FCC after an investigation revealed the violations in 2018.
- Both companies challenged the fines, claiming the process denied their Seventh Amendment right to a jury trial.
- The Supreme Court ruled 8-1 that the FCC’s process does not violate the right to a jury trial.
- Chief Justice John Roberts wrote that companies can choose to pay the fine and challenge it in higher courts or refuse payment and face a jury trial in court enforcement.
- The ruling reversed a previous appeals court decision that favored AT&T.
- Justice Clarence Thomas was the sole dissenter in the ruling.
- The decision allows the FCC to continue investigating and proposing fines to help protect consumer privacy.
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