Verizon Watches Everything You Do If You Don't Opt Out

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Verizon is sending out e-mails to customers explaining its new policy of using your data to "create business and marketing reports" in order to make mobile ads more relevant. The only way around this is to opt out....or switch providers.

According to the notice from Verizon, information the company will now save includes URLs of web sites visited by customers, which "may include search terms you have used," the "location of your device" and "demographic and interest categories provided to us by other companies, such as gender, age range, sports fan, frequent diner, or pet owner."
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They did all this several months ago (including the opt out email) and I remember it being all over numerous news sites.

Why has this story made a comeback like it's something new that just happened?
 
I will have to say that I am glad the story was re-posted because I must have missed it the first time around. I will definitely opt out now that I know this.
 
Ah... Verizon wireless. I was wondering why I hadn't seen any notice of this for my verizon fios. /phew
 
These morons should by default have you opt out and give you the option to opt in, not the other way around. Oh right, if they did that, nobody would want to opt in to be spied on by Big Red. :rolleyes:

They hope plenty of customers will be too ignorant or lazy to opt out of their spying games. Oh hell, I wouldn't trust them not to spy on me even if I opt out.
 
i'm look at pron mostly in my mobile browser, i don't want to see ads.
 
Ualdayan said:
They did all this several months ago (including the opt out email) and I remember it being all over numerous news sites.

Why has this story made a comeback like it's something new that just happened?
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It's news because they finally got around to emailing customers that they are doing it, and probably only because they just realized due to other events that have happened lately making changes like this without notifying people properly is grounds for a lawsuit.
 
It amazes me that people have to pay that much money for services then worry about being spied on.
 
FoxhoundOp said:
It amazes me that people have to pay that much money for services then worry about being spied on.
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I know, right?

The cost of their mobile services is just plain ridiculous, let alone having to deal with something like this.

I don't need any more reasons to hate verizon.
 
I got the letter awhile back. It's BS that is opt out vs opt in.
 
Guess I don't pay attention cause this is the first I've heard of this. Gotta hand it to Verizon for letting you opt out instead of forcing you to submit to it like others (EA). I opted out.
 
nerdydesi said:
These morons should by default have you opt out and give you the option to opt in, not the other way around. Oh right, if they did that, nobody would want to opt in to be spied on by Big Red. :rolleyes:

They hope plenty of customers will be too ignorant or lazy to opt out of their spying games. Oh hell, I wouldn't trust them not to spy on me even if I opt out.
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Because if they defaulted to opt out, they'd have to compensate the customer for them to turn it on. This way they can just bank on no-one reading the email.

It's not like they're passing the monetary benefits of this on.
 
This is an area we need federal regulation in.

My proposed regulations:

1.) All businesses of all types (including Facebook) should be required to make any and all data sharing OPT IN, not opt out.

2.) Opting in may not be used as a requirement to in order to receive an otherwise free or paid service.
 
Zarathustra[H];1038037131 said:
This is an area we need federal regulation in.

My proposed regulations:

1.) All businesses of all types (including Facebook) should be required to make any and all data sharing OPT IN, not opt out.

2.) Opting in may not be used as a requirement to in order to receive an otherwise free or paid service.
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Adding two more points

3.) All personal data remains the property of the individual it describes at all times, unless fully anonymized to the point where it can not be used to identify the individual.

4.) Personal data may not be sold, transferred or otherwise used in any way without the explicit consent of the person or persons the data describes.unless the data has been anonymized to the point where it can not be used to identify the individual.
 
Zarathustra[H];1038037131 said:
This is an area we need federal regulation in.

My proposed regulations:

1.) All businesses of all types (including Facebook) should be required to make any and all data sharing OPT IN, not opt out.

2.) Opting in may not be used as a requirement to in order to receive an otherwise free or paid service.

3.) All personal data remains the property of the individual it describes at all times, unless fully anonymized to the point where it can not be used to identify the individual.

4.) Personal data may not be sold, transferred or otherwise used in any way without the explicit consent of the person or persons the data describes.unless the data has been anonymized to the point where it can not be used to identify the individual.
Click to expand...


The likes of Google, Facebook and various other data sharing organizations would HATE this, but I feel the above is the most fair compromise. it provides individual privacy, while still allowing companies to use anonymized data they collect.
 
Zarathustra[H];1038037131 said:
This is an area we need federal regulation in.
Click to expand...
Already happened.

FCC decided a few years back that phone companies not only can watch all that stuff they can SELL it to anyone in any field remotely resembling "communications" (perhaps ad companies to cell phones fits the bill), and can do it in an OPT OUT manner (i.e. automatically without your permission). There's also no requirement that it not be personally identifiable, so verizon is actually being "nice" about that. In fact, they could sell info on the numbers you call, when, where you were when you called, how long the calls were, etc. The kinda stuff that presumably normally requires a warrant can just be outright sold.
Previously it used to be opt in (you had to give permission).

What you do is call up all your phone companies (including cell and land line) and tell them they can NOT share your CPNI (customer proprietary network information) with anyone. They will bluster and say things like "but we can't call you with offers then", as if that's a bad thing.
 
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