Posted on 10/14/2011 6:48:08 PM PDT by decimon
A new change in Verizon's privacy policy grants it the right to track user browsing habits, app usage and physical location.
Like the Eye of Sauron watching over the lands of Middle-earth, Wednesday Verizon Wireless announced that it is now tracking the location of subscriber devices, recording search terms and websites they visit via the wireless network, and recording their app and device feature usage. This information will supposedly be used to make mobile ads more relevant to subscribers, and to be used for "certain business and marketing reports."
In a statement announcing its privacy policy changes, Verizon said that it will also use information detailing subscriber use of Verizon products and services including data and calling features, device type, and amount of use. Demographic and interest categories provided to Verizon by other companies, such as gender, age range, sports fan, frequent diner, or pet owner, will also be used.
"We will combine Mobile Usage Information and Consumer Information in a way that does not personally identify you," the company claims.
(Excerpt) Read more at tomsguide.com ...
“We will combine Mobile Usage Information and Consumer Information in a way that does not personally identify you,”
Yeah.. right.. And I have ocean front property in Minnesota.
who didn’t see it (and everything else that’s coming) coming?
New research that makes creative use of sensitive location-tracking data from 100,000 cellphones in Europe suggests that most people can be found in one of just a few locations at any time, and that they do not generally go far from home....and this is old news.
YAHOO did the same....you are FORCED to upgrade.
Now when I talk to my friends, we talk in codes on e-mail.
i put it on my dog and let him go out all day.
If you aren’t heh heh visiting sites you shouldn’t be, wink wink nudge nudge, then you have nothing to be afraid of, horn dog.
I have a prepaid phone without a plan. I pay in cash at a dealer.
I have a prepaid phone without a plan. I pay in cash at a dealer.
Same here...V***** mobile. Cell phones below $10 at 7-11. Fake e-mail, fake account, never use the same IP address, pay cash.
They also have a fairly simple ‘opt out’ from being in this data-gathering. I opted out all our lines.
Here’s a good tip for people. Dealers where most of the posters and advertisements in the place are in Spanish are good for customers wanting some privacy.
Tom should dig a little deeper before writing article... You can opt out of it fairly simply. Just click on the link in the email. Geez
I also read this here:
http://www.itworld.com/security/212365/verizon-wireless-business-reports-are-how-violating-customer-privacy
I sent it off to friends to let them know. Glad I don’t have them.
I was sent an email with instructions to opt out, which i chose to do. I thought that was cool.
LOL, correct. Until now, I’m still looking for a ppd Visa or MC without ever giving out your ssN (by Fed law) just to register the card.
Pardon me if my tin foil hat keeps me from completely believing I can trust that to be true.
"You can trust me because I always tell the truth and I never lie. If you don't believe that, just ask me."
Do you need to actually provide the SS card, or do they just take your number? Would be just too bad if the number was transposed.
To register the ppd Visa/MC, you go online to say.. Green Dot and the sss has to be legit. Green Dot usually is the preferred ppd card accepted on Ebay but there’s another and even that has the same policy. Something about the Patriot Act. I even went to those mexican money remittance kiosks here in downtown L.A and they have the same rules for their mexican visa cards.
You can opt out, but it takes some doing. They made the opt out screen purposefully confusing and opaque. I managed to remove their tracking, but only because I work in the software industry and could spot their tricks of screen manipulation.
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