Abbott sues broker over disclosing consumers' cell phone records

I know Rep. Pena will be glad to learn that Attorney General Greg Abbott filed suit yesterday against an online broker for selling consumers' private cell phone records. This should set the table nicely for Pena's legislation he's preparing on the subject. According to the AG's website:

The lawsuit alleges that for $125, the company will obtain a person’s phone record history, including the number of calls made and received, the duration of calls, dates and times, and other private information. ...

The Attorney General’s investigation revealed that USA Skiptrace does not follow legal protocols such as subpoenas in obtaining these records, nor do consumers whose information is being requested receive notification of the activity. In fact, [owner John] Strange boasts in his email correspondence that “we never contact the owners of phone numbers searched” and that the “owner has no way of knowing about the search or who ordered it.”

This appears to be a civil suit, not a criminal prosecution.

Via Fergie's Tech Blog.