Government

House Members Introduce Bill to Protect Phone Records

Bipartisan Legislation will Protect Law Enforcement Officers & Customers

From the Office of Lamar Smith, United States Representative - Texas

March 2, 2006

WASHINGTON – Recently, a bipartisan group of House Members introduced H.R. 4709, the “ Law Enforcement and Phone Privacy Protection Act of 2006,” legislation that will protect the privacy of citizens and law enforcement officials by criminalizing the fraudulent sale or solicitation of confidential cell phone records.

The bill’s original sponsors, Reps. Lamar Smith (R-TX), John Conyers, Jr. (D MI), Bob Goodlatte (R-VA) Bobby Scott (D-VA) Chris Cannon (R-UT), Zoe Lofgren (D-CA), Joe Wilson (R-SC), Stephanie Herseth (D-SD) and Dave Reichert (R-WA) offered the following joint statement:

"There are few things more personal than our phone call records. Dishonest individuals and businesses are posing as cell phone customers to access the personal call records of other individuals. These people have flourished in a gray area of the law. But that is about to stop.

"These practices assault our individual privacy, and may even contribute to stalking or other crimes of violence. In the wrong hands, this information can be used to target police officers, their families, and confidential informants. According to press reports, the FBI and the Chicago Police Department have begun to investigate this problem and recently took steps to warn their personnel, in particular undercover officers, to protect themselves from the release of sensitive personal information that might endanger them.

"We must ensure that the best interests of consumers and law enforcement officials are taken into account and fully protected from the unauthorized release of private call information. Congress must take immediate action to deter these acts by providing that anyone who seeks to wrongfully acquire or disclose these records is confronted with serious consequences under the criminal laws of the United States.

“The House Judiciary Committee is the appropriate forum for considering these changes to the criminal law. We are committed to working with all interested parties to enact this legislation, which is urgently needed to preserve consumers' privacy rights and to protect the personal safety of law enforcement personnel."