Friday 14 October 2011

Verizon Tracking Customers

I aren't a Verizon custom, but this caught my eye so decided to write about it. Verizon have updated their TOS to include the fact they are now tracking their customers mobile devices... and monitoring their customers at the same time?

There is a few different things they are tracking, but what caught my eye was this; they monitor a devices location... for marketing purposes? that doesn't make sense.

What information are we talking about?

Location of your device ("Location Information")

How information will be used

1. To create business and marketing reports.
2. For other companies to create business and marketing reports.
3. To make mobile ads you see more relevant.

Basically, when they collect information about a devices location, they also collect information of the persons location at the same time, lets face it, no one leaves their smartphone unsupervised. Verizon offer it's customers an opt-out option, I advise anyone using Verizon to opt-out A.S.A.P, this is a breach of customers privacy. It doesn't matter to me that they say they wont share this information with anyone - it's the fact I don't want to be tracked of my location by people I don't know.

But back to the point I want to make. I don't see how ANY of that is relevant to where a customers device is, it's basically saying a GPS that customers aren't allowed to switch off if they are included in this. Something tells me law suits are heading the way of Verizon.

To opt-out of the program, visit THIS LINK

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