Comcast Vows to Not Sell Customers Individual Web Browsing Data

Zarathustra[H]

Zarathustra[H]

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In a post to the company's corporate privacy blog today, Comcast CEO Gerard Lewis promised to not sell their customers personal data. He went on to state "We do not sell our broadband customers’ individual web browsing history. We did not do it before the FCC’s rules were adopted, and we have no plans to do so."

Note the oddly specific use of language referring to "individual web browsing history". This does suggest that some data, presumably aggregated user data, is used for marketing purposes. As some were disappointed to find out after an attempt to counter this legislation by crowdfunding and buying the browsing data of members of congress, that's not quite how it works.

In other words, it seems there is nothing new to report here. Comcast won't be selling your individual browsing data, just like they weren't selling it before, but we still don't have a clear view of exactly what data they collect, how they aggregate it, what they do sell, and what security they have in place to protect that data. They are also asking their customers to trust that they do as they say, and won't change their minds down the road, which is a pretty large leap considering they are not virtually unregulated.

In view of all the misinformation and inaccurate statements that have been made in the last week, we want to make sure that our customers understand how strong our privacy protections really are. So we will revise our privacy policy to make more clear and prominent that, contrary to the many inaccurate statements and reports, we do not sell our customers’ individual web browsing information to third parties and that we do not share sensitive information unless our customers have affirmatively opted in to allow that to occur.
 
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Zarathustra[H] said:
In other words, it seems there is nothing new to report here. Comcast won't be selling your individual browsing data, just like they weren't selling it before, but we still don't have a clear view of exactly what data they collect, how they aggregate it, what they do sell, and what security they have in place to protect that data.
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Which is exactly why there needs to be something in place that tells them precisely what they're not allowed to do. As it is, there's nothing stopping them from doing whatever the hell they want, which I think we can all agree they do poorly at best.

Zarathustra[H] said:
Comcast says its customers shouldn't worry about having their browsing histories or personal information sold off by Comcast, because the cable giant doesn't have any immediate plans to do so. And if they do decide to change that policy, customers should rely on the state governments to stand up to a company that writes its own laws in many places.
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Yea, that's working out great for all of us, isn't it? :mad:
 
I don't really mind that. Comcast sells the metadata showing that me and a million other subscribers are really frustrated that Most of the new vehicles in Rogue One havent been made into toys, to hasbro? Fine by me.
 
I wish ether side of the aile would get off their ass and make it illegal for any corporations to collects and sell customer data. Won't happen tho cause all the big corporations have political members bought. It really makes me sad that company's treat us this way. We get nothing but spam calls, emails and mail from fucktard places that buy that data.
 
comcast also claims their cable is superior to fiber.

comcast claims a lot of things.
 
Yeah they spent millions of dollars to grease the wheels for no reason right?

senators-telecom-isp-lobby.png


Small selection from the 265 members of congress who got these legalized Telco bribes.

Bigger list of the sleazy anti-privacy politicians and their received "donations" can be found here:
http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/29/15100620/congress-fcc-isp-web-browsing-privacy-fire-sale
 
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Much ado about nothing. No one even gave a rats behind about companies selling data on you before this. Why the all of a sudden concern? All of your past pron browsing is public knowledge already.
Personally, I'm against a bill that selectively tells some companies they can't collect and sell data, but it specifically allows the 2 largest companies that collect data to keep it up. The changes passed by the previous administration did not include Google or Facebook in collecting and selling your data. If you are so high and mighty about your online privacy, you should be asking why weren't these companies included? Why were only companies that are perceived as giant mega GOP companies targeted while the Altruistic liberal bastions of "freedom" left off?

Ultimately it boils down to one thing. You are using the ISP's network. When you signed up, you agreed to the terms you didn't read.
 
Comcast Vows to Not Sell Customers Individual Web Browsing Data*





*Unless there is real profit to be made from it
 
MavericK said:
Comcast Vows to Not Sell Customers Individual Web Browsing Data*


*Unless there is real profit to be made from it
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yes and no.. the real profit for them is their internal commercial providing with things like spotlight for their local and customer specific commercials. they use the data to determine which commercials a customer should see and what area's the commercials should be displayed and where there is no profit for them to show those commercials. don't forget that comcast also owns NBC and all their affiliated channels and telemundo which equates to 60% of all major channels within the US so there's no reason to sell user data when its more useful to them then their competitors.
 
Lebowski said:
When you signed up, you agreed to the terms you didn't read.
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Oh, I read them, but given the alternative it wasn't exactly an option to disagree. That said, consent decrees are expensive and the FTC seeks them pretty aggressively. If the data being collected is able to be deanonymized in a relatively simple manner due to inclusion of one or more factors that can be made personally identifiable, Comcast stands to lose more than they gain.
 
swimming pool said:
You really think someone would do that?

Just go on the internet and tell lies?
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They wouldn't lie

They just quote a circumstantial truth in an extremely niche case like 10 cables hooked up to a modem is faster than a single fiber threaded fiber optic cable internet.
 
ip packages just need to be protected by the letter law. if someone the package is not intended for reads the data inside the package .its illegal.
you are ntohing by an electronicn mail man you can se where it goes and wheere it comes from and thats it.
 
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Comcast Vows to Not Sell Customers Individual Web Browsing Data



So instead of them selling a certain individual's information upon request you will have to buy a packaged deal?
 
Lebowski said:
The changes passed by the previous administration did not include Google or Facebook in collecting and selling your data. If you are so high and mighty about your online privacy, you should be asking why weren't these companies included?
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Because you can choose not use FB or Google, but most people in the US only have one ISP to choose from.
 
I have no trust for Comcast. They have boned me over twice because of technicalities/loopholes in their vaguely written contracts. No way I take them at their word.
 
vegeta535 said:
I wish ether side of the aile would get off their ass and make it illegal for any corporations to collects and sell customer data. Won't happen tho cause all the big corporations have political members bought. It really makes me sad that company's treat us this way. We get nothing but spam calls, emails and mail from fucktard places that buy that data.
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I think at least for this specific issue the Republican side of the aisle was 100% responsible for the rollback of this law as Democrats voted to keep it while all but 2 Republicans voted to repeal it.

Which is strange with Republicans (at least on paper) being so concerned about personal freedoms and constitutional protection that they would give ISPs this kind of power over you.
 
in direct reply to the title: "We will never sell customer's individual web browsing data, we only sell in bulks of 100,000 or more, price negotiable"
 
April fools is today. They got their dates mixed up.
 
Comcast won't sell you the data, they will "lease" it to you though.

http://www.comcastspotlight.com/

We’re bringing brands and audiences together across screens using the power of premium video and advanced analytics.

Comcast Spotlight is an advertising sales company providing video solutions to local, regional and national businesses through television and digital advertising. Comcast Spotlight provides local market coverage across multiple platforms (cable TV, satellite, telco, online, VOD) and can target customers geographically, demographically and by message to more efficiently and effectively reach specific audience segments.

Comcast Spotlight works with the top names in research to help our clients understand how their target audiences consume media. The process begins with a custom needs analysis for each advertiser, serving as the foundation for a media plan designed specifically to achieve that advertiser’s goals.

Comcast Spotlight offers our clients the ability to deliver targeted video advertising based on geographic and demographic criteria, and to engage audiences with interactive capabilities. Our geographic segmentation tools reach the sub-DMA level, presenting more relevant messages to distinct audiences, while interactive applications offer opportunities to capture actionable leads and invite consumers to learn more about a product or service.
​


Your raw data isn't what's sold most of the time, that's proprietary valuable data. It's insights and scores derived from it algorithmically. These scores and categorizations are their 'corporate opinion', and in the US are protected as free (corporate) speech. With the US law system the biggest threat is being sued for libel, which is why they are very careful to always sell these scores as 'likelihood', not fact. Although the clients use it as fact all the same. The databroker-market (worth 150 billion in 2015) doesn't sell YOUR data, they sell THEIR data (which is based on your data).

Welcome to the reputation economy, where every little bit of data you leave behind is used to rate you. And do realize:
- These scores and ratings will increasingly impact the chances you are given.
- They are not as fair as you think.
 
piscian18 said:
I don't really mind that. Comcast sells the metadata showing that me and a million other subscribers are really frustrated that Most of the new vehicles in Rogue One havent been made into toys, to hasbro? Fine by me.
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Or that the movie was literally set right before a new hope but we never see death troopers or some of the vehicles in any of the original trilogy... So it seems like a slight continuity issue.

Sorry, what was the original topic? Ha.
 
MavericK said:
Comcast Vows to Not Sell Customers Individual Web Browsing Data*





*Unless there is real profit to be made from it
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because the CIA/NSA already pay them for it and they can hide behind secrecy. If they did sell it. The CIA/NSA would be able to bid them down against that other entity.

Also I'm sure they get a kickback from Google and Microsoft. Because if too many people have your data, it becomes 'unmonetizable'.
 
Sooooo Comcrap agrees to not "sell" individual web browsing data. Instead, they will freely give the information away for a "suggested" donation to the highest bidders. huh?
 
DustMite said:
Sooooo Comcrap agrees to not "sell" individual web browsing data. Instead, they will freely give the information away for a "suggested" donation to the highest bidders. huh?
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Yes, just like they were able to do previously, were always able to do now, and were originally able to do in the near future, and so far to the best of our knowledge, they haven't actually done, and have been vocal about not doing it.
 
The amount of shit Comcast gets... Honestly they are still worlds better than most other ISPs. Especially Comcast Business. Want an example of an ISP that will sell everything of yours for every penny it's worth, check out Mediacom.
 
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