AT&T & Verizon Selling Your Personal Data to Advertisers; Here's a Method to Stop it

[dgstorm]

Not everyone knows this, but both Verizon and AT&T are selling your personal data to advertisers. Furthermore, these are opt-out programs, not an opt-in program. This means that unless you already went through the opt-out procedure, they have likely already sold your relevant personal info (like anonymized location data, age, gender, usage habits, sports teams, dining and others) to advertisers and will continue to do so. Many companies have opt-in programs, which means they default to not selling your personal data, unless you give them permission to do so. Unfortunately, with AT&T and Verizon, their terms of agreement are the opposite, and most people don't bother to read their policies when they sign up for new service.

What is even more frustrating about Verizon is that they only have a 30-day window for you to opt-out. Afterwards, your data is fair game. Regardless, we thought it was important to share this info with our members, and give you some links to their respective opt-out programs.

Verizon - Disable Customer Proprietary Network Information Sharing

AT&T - Disable Customer Proprietary Network Information Sharing

Source: TheNextWeb

 

[cobravnm13]

Done.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[tgyberg]

How many warehouses of cash does vzw have? I wouldn't cry if this cash cow fell down a well for good.

 

[johnomaz]

Part of this sucks, but at the same time, if it is truely anonymous...is it a bad thing? If you cannot be identified from the data, I don't really care. You are going to be shown advertisements no matter what why not see stuff relevant other than just whatever crap they send you. Now, if they are tying the info to a specific ID, such as the UDID or your phone number or something specific, then it doesn't matter if it has your name, it can be tracked back to you or your account. But if the info is put into a big "pot" for a region and that region has ads that is targeted to the info from the pot, then fine.

Frankly, on here and many other sites, people complain that the companies are getting out of touch to what its consumer base wants...well, this is probably one of the ways they try to figure out what we want. I shop at Safeway. I use my Safeway card to get store discounts. The card is also used to collect data on what I buy, how much and when I buy it. I also get relevant coupons in the mail because of that data.

Theres always two sides to a coin.

 

[bazar6]

b@$tards .... Thanks, just opted out of VZW. Did y'all see the confirmation message too? You have to do it for every new device you add to your plan, so just remember to go back there if you add another line.

Your changes have been saved. Please note that if you add a number, you must indicate your privacy election with respect to each individual or new line.

And johnomaz... I see your points. The only reason I hate it is that I'm automatically enrolled in it. If I were told up front that it's part of being on their network, but it's completely anonymous, then I wouldn't have as much of a problem with it... but the fact that they're trying to hide it from their subscribers makes it seem really fishy to me.

 

[StormyHeather]

This was mentioned awhile ago and I went and opted-out of this for all the numbers on my account. Of course, information like this is never OLD. I personally don't like the idea that you have to OPT OUT of something that disseminates your personal information, whether anonymized or not. It is still YOUR information. Until people stop being complacent about their personal information and how it is used by companies/corporations, we will have no say in how it will be used or bought and sold without our knowledge or permission. :question:

 

[NeoPhoenixTE]

...huh, seems I already took care of this. Dang I'm paranoid, haha.

 

[gthotie5]

This doesn't bother me as much as other people but i still opted out.
Pretty stupid that your in by default. :angry:

 

[SnoDrtRider]

Opted out on VZW... when they start the "New Every Two" program again and I get a new phone every two years for each of my 4 lines I might allow them to collect info.

 

[vatothe0]

Re: AT&T & Verizon Selling Your Personal Data to Advertisers; Here's a Method to Stop

...huh, seems I already took care of this. Dang I'm paranoid, haha.

Because this was actual news 4 years ago.
I'd like to verify that all the people furiously opting out make sure they never use Google, Facebook, Twitter or any other "free"service because your user data IS their revenue stream.

 

[wheeler062505]

Done

 

[TauntingBull]

Thanks

 

[xPlatinum-Androidx]

Seems I had already taken care of it. Pat on the shoulder for me.

 

[tommyz]

Old News. I changed this a LONG time ago.

 

[Anomander]

Because this was actual news 4 years ago.
I'd like to verify that all the people furiously opting out make sure they never use Google, Facebook, Twitter or any other "free"service because your user data IS their revenue stream.

I'm probably misunderstanding you on this, but considering that I'm playing for my service with Verizon we should never had to opt out of that service to begin with. I think on anything your paying for you should have to opt in. Facebook, Google, and others with it being "free" I can understand why they would use your user data. I think I need to read the fine print better since I checked and had to switch it over. It may have been old news, but this was the first I saw of it, so it is "new" to me.