On December 8, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, the Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006 (H.R. 4709). The House approved the measure on April 26. The president is expected to sign the bill into law.
The measure finds that “the unauthorized disclosure of telephone records not only assaults individual privacy but, in some instances, may further acts of domestic violence or stalking, compromise the personal safety of law enforcement officers, their families, victims of crime, witnesses, or confidential informants, and undermine the integrity of law enforcement investigations.”
The bill prohibits accessing customer accounts through the Internet or by fraudulent computer-related activities without prior authorization. It also imposes a fine and/or imprisonment of up to 10 years for violations. Fines may be doubled, and an additional five-year prison term imposed, for violations occurring involving more than $100,000 or more than 50 customers, and for violations involving the use of confidential phone records information to commit violent crimes, domestic violence, and crimes against law enforcement officials.
