AT&T Gigabit Service Charges $29 Not To Track You

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Want Gigabit speed from AT&T? That'll be $70 please. Want privacy to go along with that? That'll be an extra $29 a month.

AT&T scans all U-verse with AT&T GigaPower Internet traffic to identify originating IP addresses in order to apply the service features and pricing applicable to the offer you selected (Premier or Standard), and to restrict use of web browsing information for Internet Preferences only to customers who have selected the Premier Offer....AT&T Internet Preferences works independently of your browser's privacy settings regarding cookies, do-not-track and private browsing. If you opt-in to AT&T Internet Preferences, AT&T will still be able to collect and use your Web browsing information independent of those settings.
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lol thats the same thing google said... we track you for free or we track you for $29 more :rolleyes:
 
I did not read the article - so this might be in it. What if I use a VPN service? I know most people do not and would not even know what this is.
 
Tracking wouldn't be so bad, I'm sure it's already being done and there's probably ways around it. Targeted ads would not be acceptable if they're being pushed onto websites by poisoning my session or on top of websites that I'm visiting.
 
steakman1971 said:
I did not read the article - so this might be in it. What if I use a VPN service? I know most people do not and would not even know what this is.
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VPN would probably circumvent their tracking.

This is basically AT&T tracking people not by cookie like other sites do but by their connection/routing hardware. All to target ads to you and generate revenue.

You could probably use a ad blocker to similar effect (except AT&T would still have your data).

Did dig into the pricing structure... if this is a form of subsidized service sure more options are good. If this is just a way to squeeze more money, then blah...

Any issues would be compounded depending on the options actually available to customers, if only 1-2 ISP choices then wtf...
 
I knew it was just a matter of time.

There used to be no commercials on television, and now most programs have more commercials than actual program time.

Soon we're going to see the same thing just for internet access.

idiocracy_3.jpg


Thanks Obama!
 
Is this shocking? It shouldn't be since this is exactly what was announced when they introduced pricing for Gigapower some time ago.

To be honest though are people going to really bitch about this? This is some serious Steam Summer Sale mentality going on, it's 1 Gbps for $99 a month FFS and you get all the privacy you want. How much are you currently paying for your 25Mbps Comcast line? How about some of you fancy guys with 100+ Mbps, how much are you paying?
 
sfsuphysics said:
Is this shocking? It shouldn't be since this is exactly what was announced when they introduced pricing for Gigapower some time ago.

To be honest though are people going to really bitch about this? This is some serious Steam Summer Sale mentality going on, it's 1 Gbps for $99 a month FFS and you get all the privacy you want. How much are you currently paying for your 25Mbps Comcast line? How about some of you fancy guys with 100+ Mbps, how much are you paying?
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You are right, It is basically because of how it is worded. If they just offered one price and stated they give you privacy, everyone would be happy instead. It needs looked at as, you can save monthly cost if you let them pay you to track you for ad research.

You arent paying to not be tracked, you are being paid to be tracked. It is like commercials vs pay per view.Commercials pay for the show so you don't have to.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Is this shocking? It shouldn't be since this is exactly what was announced when they introduced pricing for Gigapower some time ago.

To be honest though are people going to really bitch about this? This is some serious Steam Summer Sale mentality going on, it's 1 Gbps for $99 a month FFS and you get all the privacy you want. How much are you currently paying for your 25Mbps Comcast line? How about some of you fancy guys with 100+ Mbps, how much are you paying?
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AT&T is pushing this in the markets Google fiber is already present in. Except Google fiber costs $70/mo without the privacy invading bs. AT&T are just trying to get something for nothing - either free money from tracking or an extra $30/mo.
 
DocSavage said:
AT&T is pushing this in the markets Google fiber is already present in. Except Google fiber costs $70/mo without the privacy invading bs. AT&T are just trying to get something for nothing - either free money from tracking or an extra $30/mo.
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LOL

Google tracks you, it's their whole business model.

https://fiber.google.com/legal/privacy.html

How we use information we collect

The Google Privacy Policy explains how we use information we collect.

All information we collect about the use of Google Fiber TV (including use of programs and applications available through Google Fiber TV) may be associated with the Google Account being used for Google Fiber TV.

Technical information collected from the use of Google Fiber Internet for network management, security or maintenance may be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, but such information associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber will not be used by other Google properties without your consent. Other information from the use of Google Fiber Internet (such as URLs of websites visited or content of communications) will not be associated with the Google Account you use for Fiber, except with your consent or to meet any applicable law, regulation, legal process or enforceable governmental request.

This notice does not apply to the collection and use of information from other Google services (such as Gmail or Google Search) used while connected to Google Fiber Internet – such information will be treated in accordance with applicable Google policies and terms of service.

...

We may share non-personally identifiable information publicly and with our partners – like content providers, publishers, advertisers or connected sites.
 
I actually have AT&T Gigapower service and I get on average 950Mbps up and down. Initially I opted-out of the "Privacy Preferences" and attempted to use my PIA vpn service to circumvent the tracking.

The problem is the fastest speed I was able to get over VPN was 133Mbps. Which is plenty fast for browsing and streaming but nowhere near 1Gbps. ATT gives you 45 days to opt in to their "Privacy Preferences" after installation so I ended up opting in to get the $70 price point.

I just turn on my VPN which I have setup at my pfsense gateway when I'm doing anything that I feel requires privacy (I know everything should require privacy). This way all the traffic in my house goes over VPN no matter what.

In regards to the ads they only show up on your AT&T homepage which I've never visited or sent to your AT&T email address which I've never checked.
 
DocSavage said:
AT&T is pushing this in the markets Google fiber is already present in. Except Google fiber costs $70/mo without the privacy invading bs. AT&T are just trying to get something for nothing - either free money from tracking or an extra $30/mo.
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Correction AT&T is pushing this into markets Google fiber is present in, has shown an interest in, or might show an interest in. This is one of those things, if it bugs you that much, then fine go with Google fiber and "don't get tracked" *snicker* point being it's still $99/month for fiber. Is everyplace in KC wired with Google fiber? No? is AT&T supplying any one who can't get Google fiber? Yes? Then it's a win win in my opinion.
 
sfsuphysics said:
Correction AT&T is pushing this into markets Google fiber is present in, has shown an interest in, or might show an interest in. This is one of those things, if it bugs you that much, then fine go with Google fiber and "don't get tracked" *snicker* point being it's still $99/month for fiber. Is everyplace in KC wired with Google fiber? No? is AT&T supplying any one who can't get Google fiber? Yes? Then it's a win win in my opinion.
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Don't get me wrong. If I didn't currently have google fiber, I'd have AT&T fiber for $100 or $70 in a heartbeat. And to tell the truth, I'd opt for saving $30/mo for a bit of a lack of privacy.
 
dr/owned said:
VPN doesn't get even close to gigabit speeds.
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Doesn't really matter when average users on such connections are watching youtube, google will happily 'auto force' 144p/240p unless you try to change it or script it out..
 
Nothing new. They've been charging for privacy forever. You want your phone number to NOT be listed? Sure. That'll be an extra $4.99.
 
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