AP: Senate Approves Anti-Pretexting Bill

Senate Approves Anti-Pretexting Bill

By JOHN DUNBAR
The Associated Press
Saturday, December 9, 2006; 12:10 AM

WASHINGTON -- After more than eight months in limbo, a bill that would criminalize
the practice of lying to obtain the telephone records of private citizens passed
the Senate late Friday.

The Senate approved the anti-pretexting bill by a voice vote. The House passed it
in April. It now goes to the White House for approval.

"Stealing someone's private phone records is a criminal act that can now be prosecuted,"
said Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., lead sponsor of the proposal in the Senate. "Phone
information and call logs should be protected with the same safeguards as financial
data or medical records."

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The legislation outlaws the practice of getting confidential phone records by "making
false or fraudulent statements" to a phone company employee, by "obtaining false or
fraudulent documents to access accounts" or by "accessing customer accounts through
the Internet" without authorization.

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