Verizon Might Be Collecting Your Browsing History (theverge.com) 36
Verizon might be collecting information about your browsing history, location, apps, and your contacts, all in the name of helping the company "understand your interests," first spotted by Input. The Verge reports: The program, which Verizon appears to automatically opt customers into, is called Verizon Custom Experience and its controls lay buried in the privacy settings on the My Verizon app. The program introduces two different options that appear in the app, Custom Experience and Custom Experience Plus, each of which varies in terms of invasiveness. Verizon provides additional information about both settings within the app, as well as on a FAQ page on its website. It appears that the Custom Experience option is a stripped-down version of Custom Experience Plus, and as Verizon states directly in the app, it helps Verizon "personalize" its "communication with you" and "give you more relevant product and service recommendations" by using "information about websites you visit and apps you use on your mobile device."
Meanwhile, Custom Experience Plus has the same stated purpose -- to help Verizon provide you with a more "personalized" experience. However, it not only uses information about the websites and apps you use on your mobile device, but it also says it uses your "device location," along with "phone numbers you call or that call you" to help Verizon "better understand your interests." This also includes your CPNI, which tracks the times and duration of your calls, and because Verizon is your wireless network provider, it can track your location even if you've turned off location services on your phone. As Verizon explains on its site, it might use your information to, say, present you with an offer that includes music content, or give you a music-related option in its Verizon Up reward program if it knows you like music. Verizon explicitly states that for the more invasive Customer Experience Plus tracking, you "must opt-in to participate and you can change your choice at any time." Signing up for those Up Rewards, or other promotions with consequences buried in the fine print may have opted customers in unknowingly. How to opt-out: "[...] open your My Verizon app, and then hit the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Scroll down and select 'Manage privacy settings' beneath the 'Preferences' heading. On the next page, toggle off 'Custom Experience' and 'Custom Experience Plus.' To erase the information that Verizon has already collected about you through the program, tap 'Custom Experience Settings,' and hit 'Reset.'"
Meanwhile, Custom Experience Plus has the same stated purpose -- to help Verizon provide you with a more "personalized" experience. However, it not only uses information about the websites and apps you use on your mobile device, but it also says it uses your "device location," along with "phone numbers you call or that call you" to help Verizon "better understand your interests." This also includes your CPNI, which tracks the times and duration of your calls, and because Verizon is your wireless network provider, it can track your location even if you've turned off location services on your phone. As Verizon explains on its site, it might use your information to, say, present you with an offer that includes music content, or give you a music-related option in its Verizon Up reward program if it knows you like music. Verizon explicitly states that for the more invasive Customer Experience Plus tracking, you "must opt-in to participate and you can change your choice at any time." Signing up for those Up Rewards, or other promotions with consequences buried in the fine print may have opted customers in unknowingly. How to opt-out: "[...] open your My Verizon app, and then hit the gear icon in the top-right corner of the screen. Scroll down and select 'Manage privacy settings' beneath the 'Preferences' heading. On the next page, toggle off 'Custom Experience' and 'Custom Experience Plus.' To erase the information that Verizon has already collected about you through the program, tap 'Custom Experience Settings,' and hit 'Reset.'"
Might? (Score:5, Informative)
That's basically exactly what they're doing. I had already disabled this, but got a message from Verizon I guess trying to convince me to sign up for it so I double checked to make sure it was still disabled. The email came with a link direct to the page with the controls on it.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
It's a man-in-the-middle attack, except the man in the middle is the internet provider.
Re: (Score:2)
They might be collecting yours, but they're certainly not collecting mine! Why would I use such an over-priced service?
Re:Might? (Score:5, Insightful)
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Why don't you lobby for some privacy laws that stop them doing it?
A VPN is obviously the best option, but a free and easy trick is to change your DNS server to a public one. They use DNS logging a lot because these days many connections are encrypted tunnels to CDNs that don't reveal much about the destination site. It's obviously far from perfect but does significantly reduce the amount of data they are able to collect, assuming you use DoH so your queries are encrypted (most modern browsers support that).
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Yep me too, never let Verizon run any of their spyware code on your phone
What is this "Might Be" (Score:2)
Adding more surveillance is just evolution of companies.
Re: (Score:2)
Adding more surveillance is just evolution of companies.
The one time you all wish for a creator.
They might (Score:2)
if I was browsing on my phone,
but I don't.
Understand your interests ...like leaving. (Score:2)
Verizon might be collecting information about your browsing history, location, apps, and your contacts, all in the name of helping the company "understand your interests," first spotted by Input.
Think they'll get the message if I browse for T-Mobile?
Re:Understand your interests ...like leaving. (Score:5, Insightful)
Verizon might be collecting information about your browsing history, location, apps, and your contacts, all in the name of helping the company "understand your interests," first spotted by Input.
Think they'll get the message if I browse for T-Mobile?
No. Unless you actually cancel your Verizon subscription, all you're doing is telling them you're in the market for more cellular services, which they will happily advertise to you.
You can do it from your computer, too. (Score:3, Informative)
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And you can lock it from being turned on for all lines on your account. Glad I read this post!
Quit trying to be like Facebook (Score:3)
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Seriously. What I'd give for a company that didn't try to squeeze every last penny out of their customers.
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Indeed. But they would would probably just squeeze it out of you upfront instead of covertly.
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Privacy & Internet Security are a myth in the (Score:1)
Misleading title (Score:2)
How to opt-out: (Score:2)
Wireless is only part of Verizon Communications (Score:2)
Presumably the Verizon FIOS customers are handled similarly.
I'd assume they are, but the opt out is not obvious.
FIOS setting appears to be... (Score:2)
Log into your Verizon account
Select Manage my Internet
Select Manage Online Advertising Preferences
Check Do Not Participate
Select Save
I was apparently opted-in before looking for this, same as the wireless customers.
Which sucks.
miiight? (Score:1)
Screw all that carrier installed crap. (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
It's still there. This is not tied to anything Verizon installs.
Two Google provided Pixels here - checked account settings online, both had the settings enabled.
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It's still there. This is not tied to anything Verizon installs.
Two Google provided Pixels here - checked account settings online, both had the settings enabled.
Nope. FTFA:
The program, which Verizon appears to automatically opt customers into, is called Verizon Custom Experience and its controls lay buried in the privacy settings on the My Verizon app.
There is no My Verizon app on my phone. That's installed by Verizon on the phones you purchase from them.
Re:Screw all that carrier installed crap. (Score:4, Informative)
You're completely missing the point.
The app does NOT control whether this happens, it only gives you a shortcut to their settings pages where you can turn this on or off.
If you don't have/want the app (good on you!) you have to use their actual website to turn it off.
If you don't, it'll be on for your by default.
If you are a Verizon customer (Score:3)
You should also be mad about them cutting their effective cell coverage by half of the distance from each cell tower which would be about six times less cell coverage area by disabling their 3G network.
Doesn't matter if you are an urban area but if you ever want to get out away from everything you can't even load a web page in many areas now. I can't even drive down the freeway and make calls in some areas.
They are an ISP (Score:2)
Measure my ass (Score:2)
Nooooo (Score:2)
I think Google said the other day they needed my phone number to satisfy a regulation, but that they would so use it for advertising to me in its easy, globally unique ID sort of way.
So, sorry, no thank you. Sorry if the police arrest you for not collecting it. You know it anyway and use it anyway.
Still? (Score:2)
I hate smart phones (Score:2)
where is the interception? (Score:2)
I'm curious to know where the data interception is taking place. It's not clear from the article if it's coming from a common HTTPS library, device-level network watcher, or network-watching at the ISP level.