Category Archives: microbilt

Confessions of an ID Theft Kingpin, Part I

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At the height of his cybercriminal career, the hacker known as “Hieupc” was earning $125,000 a month running a bustling identity theft service that siphoned consumer dossiers from some of the world’s top data brokers. That is, until his greed and ambition played straight into an elaborate snare set by the U.S. Secret Service. Now, after more than seven years in prison Hieupc is back in his home country and hoping to convince other would-be cybercrooks to use their computer skills for good. Continue reading Confessions of an ID Theft Kingpin, Part I→

Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over Selling Customers’ Location Data

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The lawsuits come after a Motherboard investigation showed AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile sold phone location data that ended up with bounty hunters, and The New York Times covered an instance of Verizon selling data. Continue reading Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T Hit With Class Action Lawsuit Over Selling Customers’ Location Data→

Data Broker That Sold Phone Locations Used by Bounty Hunters Lobbied FCC to Scrap User Consent

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Zumigo, which sold the location data of American cell phone users, wanted the FCC to remove requirements around user consent. Continue reading Data Broker That Sold Phone Locations Used by Bounty Hunters Lobbied FCC to Scrap User Consent→

AT&T to Stop Selling Location Data to Third Parties After Motherboard Investigation

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After Motherboard found that AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint are selling their customers’ phone location data ultimately to bounty hunters, AT&T has decided to stop service for all location aggregators, an essential part of the data supply chain. Continue reading AT&T to Stop Selling Location Data to Third Parties After Motherboard Investigation→

Senators Call on FCC To Investigate T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint Selling Location Data to Bounty Hunters

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After Motherboard’s article, Senators Kamala Harris, Mark Warner, and Ron Wyden are coming out against telcos who are selling their customers’ location data. Continue reading Senators Call on FCC To Investigate T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint Selling Location Data to Bounty Hunters→

I Gave a Bounty Hunter $300. Then He Located Our Phone

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T-Mobile, Sprint, and AT&T are selling access to their customers’ location data, and that data is ending up in the hands of bounty hunters and others not authorized to possess it, letting them track most phones in the country. Continue reading I Gave a Bounty Hunter $300. Then He Located Our Phone→