The Desk appreciates the support of readers who purchase products or services through links on our website. Learn more...

Judicial panel consolidates lawsuits against AT&T over data breaches

Photo of author
By:
»

mkeys@thedesk.net

Share:
An AT&T retail store.
An AT&T retail store. (Handout photo courtesy AT&T, Graphic by The Desk)

A federal judicial panel has chosen the Northern District of Texas as the venue that will hear a consortium of lawsuits brought against AT&T by consumers over a recently-disclosed data breach.

The lawsuits were filed in various district courts across the country after AT&T affirmed the personal information of more than 70 million current and former subscribers was available on a shadowy portion of the Internet referred to as the “dark web.”

The information apparently originated from a database used by AT&T back in 2019. It wasn’t clear when AT&T was made aware of the breach, but it disclosed the incident to customers in a notice sent in late March.

Around 65 million former AT&T subscribers were impacted by the breach, AT&T said. Another 7.9 million current customers are also affected.

More than two dozen consumer lawsuits followed, with common complaints that blamed AT&T for lackluster security practices regarding the collection and storage of customer information that opened the door for hackers to steal, and later leak, the data.

Last week, a federal panel tasked with weighing in on multidistrict matters said the lawsuits would be consolidated into a single case, which will be heard in the Northern District of Texas. The venue was chosen because AT&T’s headquarters are based in Dallas, which falls within that court’s jurisdiction. Fierce Network was the first to report on the action.

AT&T has offered credit monitoring to current and former customers who were impacted by the breach. The lawsuits, now consolidated into a single class-action case, could also open the door for financial remuneration if AT&T is found liable or the case is settled.

Never miss a story

Get free breaking news alerts and twice-weekly digests delivered to your inbox.

We do not share your e-mail address with third parties; you can unsubscribe at any time.

Photo of author

About the Author:

Matthew Keys

Matthew Keys is the award-winning founder and editor of TheDesk.net, an authoritative voice on broadcast and streaming TV, media and tech. With over ten years of experience, he's a recognized expert in broadcast, streaming, and digital media, with work featured in publications such as StreamTV Insider and Digital Content Next, and past roles at Thomson Reuters and Disney-ABC Television Group.
TheDesk.net is free to read — please help keep it that way.

We rely on advertising revenue to support our original journalism and analysis.
Please disable your ad-blocking technology to continue enjoying our content.

Learn how to disable your ad blocker on: Chrome | Firefox | Safari | Microsoft Edge | Opera | AdBlock plugin

Alternatively, add us as a preferred source on Google to unlock access to this website.

If you think this is an error, please contact us.