Court: Selling Phone Location Violates Law

A unanimous 2nd Circuit panel upheld the FCC’s $46.9 million fine against Verizon for selling device-location data without users’ consent. The court ruled device-location qualifies as 'customer proprietary network information' under Section 222, rejected Verizon’s Seventh Amendment jury-trial argument, and noted that delegating consent to intermediaries (LocationSmart, Zumigo) doesn’t shield carriers. — This clarifies legal protections for location data and heightens a circuit split likely to draw Supreme Court review, shaping the future of consumer privacy and regulatory penalties.