The FCC is considering a new rule where you have to give your ID and your other information in order to get cell service, essentially killing off your privacy
TLDR;
This new rule would require companies to collect Your name, physical address, government-issued ID number, and an alternate phone number before turning on your phone
They will verify and keep that data four years after your service ends
“Re-verification triggered by "red flags" like unusual call volumes or cryptocurrency payments”
The goal is to take down robocalls
People like the EFF and ACLU point out that citizens shouldn’t have to give away their privacy just to fight a few robot calls.
People of domestic violence, whistleblowers, victims of trafficking and journalist would be victims of this
And of course “roughly 15 million U.S. adults without a driver's license, disproportionately Black and Hispanic Americans, people with disabilities, and lower-income households.”
Plus, around 144 million records were leaked by both AT&AT and comcast combined
The comments on this rule are open right now
write them a comment and let them know that you will not give away your privacy
full thing
The FCC's new proposal, FCC 26-27, would make you have to provide an ID and a home address and an alternative phone number before getting service
“What the FCC Actually Wants From You
Every company that puts a call on the public phone network would face the same sweeping identity requirements under this proposal.
Mobile carriers, landline providers, VoIP services, and prepaid phone sellers are all covered.
The Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, adopted unanimously on April 30, 2026, converts broad KYC principles into hard obligations.
Here's what providers would need from you before activation:”
“Your name, physical address, government-issued ID number, and an alternate phone number — collected before service turns on
Verification of that data, not just collection
Records retained for four years after your service ends
Re-verification triggered by "red flags" like unusual call volumes or cryptocurrency payments”
why?
“The FCC frames this as a robocall killer.
Banking groups point to nearly $200 billion in annual fraud losses, according to the American Bankers Association — and phone scams are genuinely devastating.
But privacy advocates note that most illegal robocalls originate internationally, and fewer than half of U.S. telecoms have fully implemented STIR/SHAKEN,
the existing caller authentication standard built specifically for this problem.
The FCC hasn't finished deploying the targeted fix it already has.
"Americans should not have to sacrifice their privacy because the Commission hasn't exhausted more targeted alternatives to stop robocalls." — EFF and ACLU joint filing.”
People need private phones
Domestic abuse victims, “trafficking victims, whistleblowers, journalists protecting sources
and roughly 15 million U.S. adults without a driver's license, disproportionately Black and Hispanic Americans, people with disabilities, and lower-income households.
An ID requirement for basic phone service doesn't inconvenience criminal networks nearly as much as it blocks the people the system should protect.”
protecting information with a unworthy protector
“The FCC wants telecoms to hold your most sensitive data — the same companies with a proven record of losing it.”
AT&T lost over 109 million records in 2024
Comcast's Xfinity division exposed 36 million accounts the year before
Giving ID’s to these companies would risk everything for the people forced to give away their ID’s
“It's like giving your spare house keys to someone who locks themselves out on a weekly basis and calling it a security upgrade.”
The FCC hasn't finalized anything yet, and those gaps are exactly where public input can still matter.
Your window to shape this rule is short, and the stakes for everyday anonymity are very real.”
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