From Pine View Farm

Heads Up! Verizon Users (Updated) 3

I don’t know whether this is true, but there’s a reason I use T-Mobile. Verizon users, check your inbox and let me know.

From TechDirt

Jeff A. writes to let us know that Verizon Wireless is trying to change its policy on what it can do with your calling record info. Basically, it sounds like they want to start selling it to marketers, so they had to change their terms of service. What they did was send customers a letter telling them they had 30 days to call and opt-out of this new plan to hand over your calling records, or you’d have automatically accepted their changed terms of service and Verizon Wireless could hand over the info to advertisers.

Via Geek News Central.

Addendum, 10/17/2007:

From the New York Times. Follow the link for the full story:

Brian Ashby, associate general counsel for Verizon, said the company was seeking to share that information only among Verizon divisions, so it can better sell new products to existing customers. In the mailing, Verizon gave customers 30 days to “opt out” if they did not want their information shared.

But analysts and consumer advocates suggest the company may also be interested in gathering information as it prepares to tailor the advertising it displays on cellphone screens, based on individual customer habits and attributes. Mobile advertising is an untapped source of revenue among mobile phone companies looking to expand their businesses.

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3 comments

  1. Opie

    October 16, 2007 at 7:03 pm

    My Verizon phone is issued and paid for by my employer, so I am not likely to get such a notice, but in a way that brings up an interesting question: are Verizon’s business accounts subject to this? I suspect there are a few corporations who might be very suspicious of calling records being opened up for this sort of thing. Get a list of my cell phone calls, and you have a pretty good insight into my customer base. A competitor might be very interested. My company might be very angry. Hmm.

     
  2. Karen

    October 17, 2007 at 6:33 am

    So T-Mobile won’t do this kind of thing? Both our accounts are business, & I defy anyone to get an idea of customers from Chris’ records. His is mostly talking to his cronies. Which is why he’s on his own plan, with 5000 minutes a month! Now he never runs over his time, even when his mouth does.

     
  3. Opie

    October 17, 2007 at 4:42 pm

    Sounds like you need to get more control of your employees, Karen.