Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Evan Bayh today co-sponsored a bipartisan bill, introduced by Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY), which will help protect private cell phone records by making it a crime to purchase cell phone records without the owner's consent. Currently, anyone with a cell phone number and approximately $100 can easily obtain private cell phone records from the Internet.

"Right now, all you need to get someone's personal call log is their cell phone number and about $100," Senator Bayh said. "This legislation will help stop the illegal buying and selling of private cell phone records."

The legislation that Bayh co-sponsored would upgrade the stealing and selling of telephone records to a criminal offense, clearing the way for criminal action against online companies who sell such information. Recent news reports have revealed that numerous online companies are fraudulently acquiring cell phone records and selling them at affordable prices to anyone willing to pay for them.

"Hoosiers have demonstrated their overwhelming support for telephone privacy with the state's Do-Not-Call Law, and they deserve protections on their personal cell phone logs as well," Senator Bayh said.

Senator Bayh has been an active supporter of telephone privacy. Last July, he joined Senator Lugar to protect Indiana's successful Do-Not-Call Law by urging the Federal Communications Commission not to supersede Indiana's law with a weaker federal law.


http://bayh.senate.gov/releases/2006/01/24JAN06PR.htm