CARRIERS?CHILD PORN REPORTS DON扵 BREAK CPNI RULES

摘要

Regulated carriers can report instances of subscribers transmitting apparent child porn without violating requirements that they protect customer proprietary network information (CPNI), the FCC said. Reports go to the CyberTipLine run by the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC). The FCC made the clarification in the order released late Wed. on its own initiative, it said. The FCC order aimed to address possible conflict between statutes. Communications Act Sec. 222 requires regulated carriers to protect the privacy of CPNI. But under federal law providers of an 揺lectronic communication service or remote computing service?must report apparent child porn to NCMEC. The ban on disclosing CPNI under the Act says it applies 揺xcept as required by law,?the FCC said. Other federal law requires the information be reported. 揟herefore, a telecommunications carrier does not violate section 222 to the extent it is compelled... to disclose CPNI in making such a report,?the Commission said.nnThe FCC has sharpened its focus on CPNI disclosures since reports this year of online data brokers selling CPNI data that were improperly obtained. In July, the Enforcement Bureau asked for more information from wireline and wireless carriers as it investigated. The FCC hasn抰 cited a carrier for substantial violations of its CPNI rules, but carriers have been fined for procedural violations.