AT&T's Call Record Storage on Third-Party AI Data Cloud Raises Privacy Concerns
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Senators press AT&T on why it stores call records on a third-party 'AI data cloud'
U.S. senators are starkly questioning AT&T's data storage practices after a serious data breach. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) -- the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law -- wrote letters questioning the telecom giant and its practice of storing call and text records with a third-party platform called Snowflake. The lawmakers demanded more info regarding the hack in which the company said "nearly all" text and phone records were stolen in mid-to-late 2022. The letters demanded answers from the CEOs of both AT&T and Snowflake. AT&T's security practices face scrutiny "Why had AT&T retained months of detailed records of customer communication for an extended amount of time and why had AT&T uploaded that sensitive information onto a third party analytics platform?" the senators asked. "What is AT&T policy, including timelines, concerning retaining and using such information?" Blumenthal and Hawley also pressed the fact other Snowflake clients -- such as Ticketmaster, Advance Auto Parts, and Santander Bank -- have announced breaches of information hosted by the company. The lawmakers suggested the AT&T breach was a result of basic cybersecurity failures, centering on malware infections and passwords that had gone unchanged for years. "Disturbingly, the AT&T breach appears to have been easily preventable," the senators wrote. Not long after the news of the breach broke, it was reported that AT&T had actually paid a hacker roughly $370,000 to delete the stolen information -- though that does not actually guarantee the data is actually fully gone.
[2]
Senators press AT&T on why it stores call records on a third-party 'AI data cloud'
U.S. senators are starkly questioning AT&T's data storage practices after a serious data breach. Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) -- the chair and ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and the Law -- wrote letters questioning the telecom giant and its practice of storing call and text records with a third-party platform called Snowflake. The lawmakers demanded more info regarding the hack in which the company said "nearly all" text and phone records were stolen in mid-to-late 2022. The letters demanded answers from the CEOs of both AT&T and Snowflake. AT&T's security practices face scrutiny "Why had AT&T retained months of detailed records of customer communication for an extended amount of time and why had AT&T uploaded that sensitive information onto a third party analytics platform?" the senators asked. "What is AT&T policy, including timelines, concerning retaining and using such information?" Blumenthal and Hawley also pressed the fact other Snowflake clients -- such as Ticketmaster, Advance Auto Parts, and Santander Bank -- have announced breaches of information hosted by the company. The lawmakers suggested the AT&T breach was a result of basic cybersecurity failures, centering on malware infections and passwords that had gone unchanged for years. "Disturbingly, the AT&T breach appears to have been easily preventable," the senators wrote. Not long after the news of the breach broke, it was reported that AT&T had actually paid a hacker roughly $370,000 to delete the stolen information -- though that does not actually guarantee the data is actually fully gone.
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AT&T's practice of storing customer call records on a third-party AI data cloud has drawn scrutiny from U.S. senators, raising questions about privacy and data security.
AT&T's Data Storage Practices Under Scrutiny
AT&T, one of the largest telecommunications companies in the United States, has come under fire for its practice of storing customer call records on a third-party artificial intelligence (AI) data cloud. This revelation has sparked concerns among privacy advocates and lawmakers, leading to a formal inquiry by U.S. senators
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.Senators Demand Answers
A group of Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren and Ron Wyden, have taken action by sending a letter to AT&T CEO John Stankey. The letter demands explanations regarding the company's decision to store sensitive customer data on an external AI-powered cloud platform
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.Privacy and Security Concerns
The senators' primary concern revolves around the potential risks associated with storing such sensitive information on a third-party platform. They argue that this practice could potentially expose customers' personal data to breaches, unauthorized access, or misuse. The letter specifically questions whether AT&T has obtained explicit consent from its customers for this data storage arrangement
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.AT&T's Response
In response to the growing controversy, AT&T has stated that the data stored on the cloud platform is anonymized and aggregated. The company insists that no individual customer data is identifiable through this system. However, critics argue that even anonymized data can potentially be de-anonymized using advanced AI techniques
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.Broader Implications for Data Privacy
This incident has reignited the ongoing debate about data privacy in the digital age. It raises questions about the extent to which companies should be allowed to share or store customer data with third-party entities, especially when it comes to sensitive information like call records
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Regulatory Scrutiny
The senators' inquiry may potentially lead to increased regulatory scrutiny of data handling practices in the telecommunications industry. This could result in stricter guidelines or regulations regarding the storage and processing of customer data by telecom companies and their partners
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.Industry-Wide Implications
As the controversy unfolds, it is likely to have ripple effects across the telecommunications industry. Other companies may need to reassess their data storage and handling practices to ensure compliance with evolving privacy standards and to maintain customer trust
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