T-Mobile shouldn't get a pass for demeaning letters customers got
T-Mobile said it wasn't behind the demeaning letters that landed in some customers' mailboxes, but it should still be held accountable.
Some T-Mobile users were mailed letters shaming them for their inappropriate online activities. They were warned about consequences, including legal action, if the behaviour continued. T-Mobile said that it wasn't behind the letters and was investigating the matter. Of course, that wasn't enough to put customers' minds at ease.
These letters looked authentic enough to put customers on edge. They weren't emails, so this wasn't a phishing attempt. The letter struck a self-righteous tone that came across as a personal attack.
While a private citizen engaging in moral policing is bizarre, what truly rattled T-Mobile customers was the ease of their targeting.
When we asked our readers how they felt, most of them were concerned. Of the 967 readers who responded, 803 indicated that access to personal information such as names and addresses by the miscreant undermined their confidence in T-Mobile. 140 respondents were curious about why T-Mobile had been singled out. Only 23 people viewed this as a harmless and funny incident.
T-Mobile has been a target of multiple breaches. Most recently, someone tried to repackage and sell previously leaked data on a hacker forum. That's why it's not all that surprising to see that sensitive information is floating around.
While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) instructs companies to get exposed data removed from websites, scrubbing that information entirely from everywhere isn't possible.
T-Mobile previously settled a class action lawsuit to resolve the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s probe into breaches. That means the company has already paid for the missteps that made data leaks possible in the first place.
It's also possible that the source of the information wasn't T-Mobile, but because the incident involved data entrusted to the carrier, it should still be held accountable.
T-Mobile needs to thoroughly investigate the matter and keep users updated on its progress. The letters that were mailed to customers looked highly professional, and it's unlikely that someone went through all that trouble just to create drama. Prompt action from T-Mobile would ensure that there are no follow-up letters.
Who was it and what did they want?
These letters looked authentic enough to put customers on edge. They weren't emails, so this wasn't a phishing attempt. The letter struck a self-righteous tone that came across as a personal attack.
When we asked our readers how they felt, most of them were concerned. Of the 967 readers who responded, 803 indicated that access to personal information such as names and addresses by the miscreant undermined their confidence in T-Mobile. 140 respondents were curious about why T-Mobile had been singled out. Only 23 people viewed this as a harmless and funny incident.
Where did the culprit get the information from?
T-Mobile has been a target of multiple breaches. Most recently, someone tried to repackage and sell previously leaked data on a hacker forum. That's why it's not all that surprising to see that sensitive information is floating around.
While the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) instructs companies to get exposed data removed from websites, scrubbing that information entirely from everywhere isn't possible.
T-Mobile previously settled a class action lawsuit to resolve the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)'s probe into breaches. That means the company has already paid for the missteps that made data leaks possible in the first place.
T-Mobile shouldn't take the incident lightly
T-Mobile needs to thoroughly investigate the matter and keep users updated on its progress. The letters that were mailed to customers looked highly professional, and it's unlikely that someone went through all that trouble just to create drama. Prompt action from T-Mobile would ensure that there are no follow-up letters.
That's not just because the letters themselves are a nuisance and can induce anxiety. Rather, the first letter may have been a ploy to manipulate customers and make them more receptive to whatever might be coming next, including an extortionate demand
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