US: Court Upholds Privacy of Cable Subscribers

A US appeals court has upheld the privacy rights of consumers against a petition from the National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA).

The NCTA was seeking to overthrow rules set by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that prevent them sharing customer data without obtaining prior permission: an “opt-in” process of the sort generally welcomed by privacy advocates. The NCTA tried to claim that this rule was a violation of their constitutional right to free speech.

Now I’m a great fan of free speech but that argument strikes me as nonsense. Fortunately the court in DC felt that way too. The NCTA petition for judicial review was denied.

Michael Copps, FCC Acting Chairman, said:

Telephone carriers today handle vast amounts of their customers’ personal information, and in light of documented abuses of consumers’ privacy, the Commission appropriately required carriers to institute additional safeguards to protect customers’ personal information

The NCTA are said to be “disappointed”.