Dept of Justice: Cellphone Companies Storing User Data For Years

According to a report in TheHill.com's Hillicon Valley technology blog, a Department of Justice (DOJ) report has noted that US-based cellphone carriers retain personal usage data for at least one year, and in most cases, for a far longer time.

The report was brought to light thanks to a Freedom of Information Act inquiry initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union. Ironically, the DOJ document notes that those consumers who pay their cell bills on a monthly basis have their records held longer than those who use pre-paid cards.

One reason to care about this report is the potential for hush-hush government privacy invasion via data mining. Also, cell phone providers can sell retained geographic location information to firms that base advertising on positioning patterns of individuals and defined groups. Yes, your data is very valuable. So is your privacy.