The Federal Communications Commission has proposed new Know-Your-Customer rules that would require voice service providers to verify customer identities using government-issued IDs, effectively eliminating anonymous burner phones.

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has issued a proposed rulemaking to strengthen Know-Your-Customer (KYC) regulations for voice service providers in an effort to combat robocalls and identity fraud. Under the proposal, providers would be required to verify baseline customer identification, including names, physical addresses, and government-issued identification numbers, before activating mobile or telephone services. While the FCC argues this will curb scam traffic and SIM-swapping, privacy advocates contend that the rules will destroy prepaid anonymity, negatively impacting vulnerable populations like domestic abuse survivors, whistleblowers, and journalists who rely on burner phones for safety.