WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- The Federal Communications Commission has begun an investigation of the sale of cell phone records, which privacy advocates say is welcome but long overdue.
Media reports for months have described how numerous Web sites sell cell phone records -- some for less than $100.
FCC Chairman Kevin Martin disclosed the investigation in a letter last Friday to Rep. Edward Markey, D-Mass.
"The commission ... is very concerned about the availability and sale of such records, and is looking into the troublesome practices described in recent media reports," Martin wrote.
Martin said the FCC is investigating how Web sites got the records and whether cell phone companies violated rules in releasing the information.
"Clearly there is a problem with the failure to provide adequate privacy safeguards," Electronic Privacy Information Center Executive Director Marc Rotenberg told The Washington Post.
"The FCC is late to the issue, but it's a good thing that they are now focused on the need to change practices," Rotenberg said.
