Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 120.djvu/3599

 120 STAT. 3568

PUBLIC LAW 109–476—JAN. 12, 2007

Public Law 109–476 109th Congress An Act Jan. 12, 2007 [H.R. 4709]

Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006. 18 USC 1 note. 18 USC 1039 note.

VerDate 14-DEC-2004

12:05 Jul 13, 2007

To amend title 18, United States Code, to strengthen protections for law enforcement officers and the public by providing criminal penalties for the fraudulent acquisition or unauthorized disclosure of phone records.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Telephone Records and Privacy Protection Act of 2006’’. SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

Congress finds that— (1) telephone records can be of great use to criminals because the information contained in call logs may include a wealth of personal data; (2) call logs may reveal the names of telephone users’ doctors, public and private relationships, business associates, and more; (3) call logs are typically maintained for the exclusive use of phone companies, their authorized agents, and authorized consumers; (4) telephone records have been obtained without the knowledge or consent of consumers through the use of a number of fraudulent methods and devices that include— (A) telephone company employees selling data to unauthorized data brokers; (B) ‘‘pretexting’’, whereby a data broker or other person represents that they are an authorized consumer and convinces an agent of the telephone company to release the data; or (C) gaining unauthorized Internet access to account data by improperly activating a consumer’s account management features on a phone company’s webpage or contracting with an Internet-based data broker who trafficks in such records; and (5) 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.

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