The FCC wants to make burner phones less anonymous. That could hit more than criminals.

A new FCC proposal would require telecom companies to collect government-issued ID numbers and physical addresses from new and renewing customers.

That could make anonymous burner phones much harder to get in the United States.

The stated goal is accountability. The privacy concern is that burner phones are also used by people with legitimate reasons to separate their identity from their phone number, including journalists, activists, domestic abuse survivors, and people trying to avoid stalking or harassment.

On Tech News Weekly 441, Mikah Sargent shares 404 Media’s reporting on the proposal and why privacy advocates are worried about what this could change.

Should phone service require a verified identity, or is anonymous communication still worth protecting?

Listen or watch:
https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly/episodes/441