This week, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced a data protection and cybersecurity settlement with T-Mobile, resolving the FCC’s investigations related to the data breaches suffered by T-Mobile that affected millions of consumers in 2021, 2022, and 2023.

As part of the settlement, T-Mobile has agreed to:

• Remediate security flaws;
• Improve the company’s cyber hygiene;
• Implement standard security safeguards, such as multi-factor authentication;
• Implement stronger corporate governance, including regular reports to the board by T-Mobile’s Chief Information Security Officer;
• Implement a modern zero trust architecture and segment its networks; and,
• Consistent application of best practice identity and access methods.

T-Mobile has agreed to invest $15.75 million in cybersecurity pursuant to the settlement, in addition to the civil penalty it will pay, $15.75 million.

FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel said, “Consumers’ data is too important and much too sensitive to receive anything less than the best cybersecurity protections. We will continue to send a strong message to providers entrusted with this delicate information that they need to beef up their systems or there will be consequences.” This settlement exemplifies why security safeguards are just as important as privacy compliance—you can’t have privacy without security.