Protecting Consumer Privacy

In my last post, I blogged about the efforts of Verizon Wireless to stop a company from mining the Internet and other sources to get wireless phone numbers and other private info. The company's aim was to create a profitable mobile phone directory.

Verizon Wireless is staying true to the privacy statement found in their wireless contract or Terms and Conditions. Let me post that lovely statement from the wireless contract of the "most reliable wireless network" again,

We don't publish directories of our customers' phone numbers. We don't provide them to third parties for listing in directories either.

Well, I found an update to this consumer privacy crusade of Verizon and other consumer rights groups. This article reported that after receiving numerous complaints, the controversial company, Intelius Inc. has made a decision to shut down the service. This is certainly good news for consumers who want privacy protection from their wireless contracts, cellphone network and consumer rights activists.

Intelius Inc. made a mistake by launching their online directory assistance for cell-phone numbers. Their website claims to have 90 million numbers in its database and for $15 each, interested can have as many numbers as they want.

In the face of stiff resistance, Intelius had no choice but to give up a potentially lucrative service. Liz Murray, a spokesperson for the besieged company explained her company's decision in this statement,

"As a company, we have strived to be at the forefront of innovation. We realize that in this instance we may have been ahead of our time. Wireless carriers attempted to develop a similar product a few years ago and found the market wasn’t ready; it’s clear that the market is still not ready. We always listen carefully to our customers, which is why we recently discontinued our cellphone directory.”

Well, I agree with them that the market isn't ready yet for this service. Many attempts to create a similar directory have failed in the past. For instance, CTIA — The Wireless Association unsuccessfully attempted to create a cell-phone directory. However, opposition from consumers and legislators forced them to abandon their project.

But then again, who would want to have their privacy violated. If a company offers personal information without getting the consent from private citizens. This unethical method will always be assailed by consumer rights groups, legislators and other concerned individuals.

I hope that legislators can successfully pass a law that would prohibit the marketing of cellphone numbers without consumer consent. Wireless contracts and carriers may not be able to provide complete protection for their subscribers. Perhaps this may also be a chance for you to find out if you are being protected by your wireless network.I value my privacy and knowing that my carrier is doing its best to protect me is very reassuring.

Mobile Phone Directories and Consumer Privacy

While I was surfing the net, my eyes caught an interesting Mobileburn article. It was about Verizon Wireless condemning data mining of wireless phone numbers in order to some sort of a directory.

The article indicated that a certain company is making plans to sell the wireless phone numbers of private citizens to interested parties. The company made it known through their website that it will offer “unlisted or unpublished” numbers and will identify the wireless service provider of consumers' for a fee. And how will this company gather the numbers and info of private citizens?

Apparently, the company will mine the information about a consumer's personal number and carrier from the World-Wide-Web, personal Web pages and other sources. The controversial aspect of their method is that they do not have the consent to gather personal information of consumers who own the rights.

How about you? Do you feel that that data mining of mobile phone numbers should be illegal? For my part, I don't think that this method should be allowed. I wouldn't want my cellphone number and other personal information to be distributed to people I do not know. The possibility of being bombarded by ads and other offers is also not an idea that I would welcome.

For these reasons, I am glad that Verizon Wireless called on that company to halt the mining and sale of wireless consumers' personal information. This wireless network prides it self in having a long-standing policy of keeping its customers’ wireless numbers private. The wireless contract or Term and condition of Verizon Wireless clearly states that,

"We don't publish directories of our customers' phone numbers. We don't provide them to third parties for listing in directories either."

This statement from the carrier's wireless contract indicates that they are aware that customers consider their wireless phone numbers as private. They also feel that wireless phones should be free from intrusions from telemarketers and other unsolicited calls and messages.

Let me give you other wireless contracts or terms and conditions that have policies against mobile phone directories and third parties. AT&T's wireless contract emphasizes that,

AT&T IS NOT A PUBLISHER OF THIRD-PARTY INFORMATION OR CONTENT AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY OPINIONS, ADVICE, STATEMENTS, OR OTHER INFORMATION, SERVICES OR GOODS PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES. Third-party content or service providers may impose additional charges. Policies regarding intellectual property, privacy and other policies may differ among AT&T's content or service providers and you are bound by such policies when you visit their respective sites or use their services. It is your responsibility to read the rules or service agreements of each content provider or service provider. Any information you involuntarily or voluntarily provide third parties is governed by their policies.

AT&T's terms and conditions do not openly state that they are against data mining of wireless phone numbers in order to some sort of a directory. They do make it clear that they are not involved with companies or any party that may attempt to do so. This carrier also puts the responsibility on their customers. I have to say that I prefer Verizon's stand on this issue. Anyway, let's move on to T-Mobile.

T-Mobile's terms and conditions states that,

We may list your name, address, and Number in a published directory with your consent. For more information on our privacy policies, please see our privacy notice at www.t-mobile.com/privacy. The way third parties handle and use your personal information is governed by their policies and we are not responsible for their policies, or their compliance with them.

T-Mobile has a softer stance on mobile phone directories. However, it will not publish your information without your consent. They also warn their customers that they have no power over third parties so customers have to exercise caution.

Lastly, here is US Cellular's stand on directories as stated in their Privacy Policy,

We will never disclose your CPNI or Personal Information to any third party other than in connection with collecting delinquent amounts owed us such as to a collection agency or credit bureau. U.S. Cellular® does not publish or support wireless directories of our customer phone numbers nor do we make this information available to third parties for listing in public directories. We may release CPNI and Personal Information about you or your account when necessary or appropriate in special circumstances such as when we, in good faith, believe that disclosure is required by a subpoena or other lawful process to enforce our Customer Service Agreement or protect the rights, property, or safety of U.S. Cellular®, our customers, or others. Disclosure may also be required in connection with a sale, purchase, merger, reorganization, liquidation, or dissolution involving U.S. Cellular®.

Like Verizon Wireless, US Cellular stress that they do not support wireless directories that contain the personal information of their clients. They also assure their customers that they will not make their information available to third parties for listing in public directories.

I guess that's all I can post today. I am oppose to companies that gather information about wireless customers in unethical ways. If you are also concerned about keeping your personal info private, then I suggest that you look into your wireless contract and find out how your privacy is being safeguarded.

Wireless Contracts and Credit Ratings part. 2

This post is the sequel to a post I made about the effects of bad credit on getting a mobile phone plan.

I focused on the wireless contracts of mobile phone carriers because they have certain policies when it comes to dealing with customers with bad credit. I began with the credit rating policies of Alltel and Sprint.

Both companies basically favor customers with good credit. They also require that a customer provide them access to credit records as well as credit status updates before the provide their services. Let's move on to the credit rating policies of other mobile phone networks.

Let us look at T-mobiles plicy regarding this issue. The Billing, Charges, and Late Fees section of T-Mobile's terms and Conditions states that, "You authorize us to verify your creditworthiness with a credit-reporting agency at any time" and "If we reinstate Service to you after discontinuing Service, you may be subject to a credit check and agree to pay reactivation charges or deposits."

These statements clearly indicate that a good credit rating will be an advantage if you are an customer of Touch Mobile. You will have to submit to a Credit status check policy so having a terrible credit history will get you nowhere. You will also be subjected to a credit check if you want to be reinstated after you discontinue services. Let us move on to US Cellular's attitude towards credit ratings.

The credit Information section of US Cellular's Terms and Conditions states that, "You authorize personal references or consumer reporting or credit agencies to furnish U.S. Cellular with your credit records or history."

Well, US Cellular did not indicate any penalty or restriction if a customer has less than perfect credit. However, they do require that you give them access to your credit records or history. This mean that you won't be able to hide your bad credit practices and that they may refuse to serve you based on your credit history.

Now, let us check out Verizon Wireless' credit status policies. According to Verizon's Customer Agreement.

WE CAN, WITHOUT NOTICE, LIMIT, SUSPEND, OR END YOUR SERVICE OR ANY AGREEMENT WITH YOU FOR THIS OR ANY OTHER GOOD CAUSE, including, but not limited to: (i) if you: (a) breach this agreement; (b) pay late more than once in any 12 months; (c) incur charges larger than a required deposit or billing limit (even if we haven't yet billed the charges); (d) provide credit information we can't verify

The Privacy section of Verizon's Customer Service Agrrement also states that,

Further, you've authorized us to investigate your credit history at any time and to share credit information about you with credit reporting agencies and our affiliates. If you ask, we'll tell you the name and address of any credit agency that gives us a credit report about you.

These statements show that Verizon appreciates honesty as much as a good credit record. You must avoid giving Verizon Wireless an unverifiable credit history or they will suspend your account. You will also have to give them authority over your credit records. This means that you must be honest with your payments or they will let credit reporting agencies know about your mistakes.

That's about it. We've learned that you will have to expose your credit status to major wireless phone carriers if you want to get a monthly plan. you have no choice about it because they all require you to give them authorization. The wireless contracts also state that you might face various penalties if you have bad credit or if your rating declines. I hope that the information I posted non credit ratings and wireless contracts will prove valuable to you.

Ad Targeting and Wireless Phone Privacy

A mobile phone is an important tool of communication and is considered by many as a necessity in this day and age. However, most of us do not realize that our cell phones are also valuable for marketers.

A cellphone contains a wealth of information about the owner that are important for advertisers. It can give them an idea of your location as well as your preference for games or music. In fact, limited targeting based on users' age, gender, ZIP code and other characteristics is being done today. However, advertisers and marketers must first deal with privacy policies before they can gain more access to mobile phone users' personal information.

Major mobile phone carriers want to protect their customers' privacy because annoyed subscribers might defect to rivals if they did a sloppy job. of course, there is also the danger of contracts disputes or lawsuits that may come after any violation of privacy.

However, marketers may be able to target ads to a potential customer's location and actions through mobile phones. After all, the carriers can also benefit from the lucrative mobile phone advertisement business. Some researches also project that U.S. spending in mobile ads will grow more to nearly $4.8 billion in the next three or four years.

Furthermore, both technology companies and privacy advocates have also been making speculations about the availability of phones' location information to commercial services and advertisers. The Federal Communications Commission ruled in 1996 that wireless carriers must help 911 dispatchers identify a caller's location may pave a way for this development.

Many advertisers have also experimented with mobile ads in anticipation of a possible opening in this niche. it makes perfect business sense to take advantage of location information with the success of GPS devices and location services like maps and child tracking.

However, privacy red flags will be flown due to mobile phones' highly personal nature. Some marketing associations have started to develop guidelines on how to deal with the issue of consumer privacy. For instance, finding an ethical and legal way of getting a customer's permission and periodically reminding them of any tracking.

I think that all the sides of this mobile advertising equation will eventually come to a common ground. There will be problems and the possibility of disputes over privacy violations are inevitable but the potential of mobile advertising is just too hard to pass up. Cell phone carrier's, customers and advertisers will eventually reach an agreement and mobile advertising will flourish.

Wireless Phone Contracts and Privacy (Part Two)

This is the second part of my post about the privacy policy of major wireless phone service carriers.

In the first part I gave some information about the policies of Alltell, AT&T and Sprint Nextel on the issue of privacy. I also talked about the Customer Proprietary Network Information, or CPNI. This term refers to the information collected from you that is made available your carrier solely by virtue of their relationship with you. This information includes the quantity, technical configuration, type, destination, and amount of your use of the telecommunications services you purchased.

Now let's proceed with the remaining major carriers that were not included in the previous post. Let's take a look at what T-Mobile has to say about their customer's privacy:

Wireless systems use radios to transmit communications over a complex network. We do not guarantee that your communications using the Service or Products will be private or secure, and we are not liable to you for any lack of privacy or security you may experience. You are responsible for taking precautions and providing security measures best suited for your situation and intended use of the Service. We may (but are not required to) monitor, intercept, and disclose your transmissions, location or communications and may disclose your billing, account, calling records, or other information, in good faith reliance on legal process, if required by law or to protect our rights, business, network or customers. We may locate you through our network. Your caller identification (such as your name and Number) even if unlisted may be displayed to others (for example, on the equipment or bill of the person receiving your call or any Internet site you visit.) We may list your name, address, and Number in a published directory with your consent. The way third parties handle and use your personal information is governed by their policies and we are not responsible for their policies, or their compliance with them.

T-Mobile is giving the customer the responsibility of taking precautions when using their device which is perfectly fair in my view. Being careful when using a mobile phone is always a good idea. They may also reveal gather information about you if the law requires it. However, they also stress that they have no control over how third parties may handle your personal information. You can visit www.t-mobile.com/privacy to get in depth info about their privacy policies.

Now let's proceed to US Cellular's policies on Privacy. The Customer Service Agreement of US Cellular states that they may, " release information about you or your account when required by a subpoena or other lawful process. We will not provide you with notice of such requests." I think that their statement is very clear.. unless you have some trouble with the law then you can be sure that your personal information is safe.

US Cellular also reassures their customers that the company is dedicated to providing superior customer satisfaction and is committed to protecting customer privacy. They will take this responsibility seriously as a key component to earning and maintaining their customers’ trust. US Cellular's associates adhere to a Code of Business Conduct that supports our commitment to protecting customer privacy. This is pretty reassuring piece of info. You can find the company's policies and practices pertaining to the use and protection of customer information at their website's Privacy policy page.

Now let's wrap this up by checking out Verizon Wireless' privacy policy. The company's Customer Agreement states that,

We may use and share information about you and how you use the services: (a) so we can provide our goods or services; (b) so others can provide goods or services to us, or to you on our behalf; (c) so we or our affiliates can communicate with you about goods or services that any of us offer (although you can call us any time if you don't want us to do this); (d) to protect ourselves; or (e) as required by law, legal process, or exigent circumstances. In addition, we may include our own or third-party advertising in the services you've purchased from us, and we may share information about you with affiliates, vendors and third parties to, in addition to the above reasons, deliver relevant advertising to you while using the services. We may collect and transmit information regarding your use of the services through applications or other software present on your device. If you do not want us to collect, transmit or use such information about you for the above purposes, you should not use the services; by using the services, you expressly authorize us to use your information for these purposes.

Verizon may collect information about their users and reveal them to third parties for several reasons including requirement by law. They also stress that the customer may choose not to use the services if these conditions prove to be unfavorable or violate the user's privacy.

I hope that I provided some insights and information on the privacy policy of various wireless service providers. I think that it's always good to research and compare options to find the most appropriate choice. Hopefully, you can find a service that will give the best protection of your personal information or privacy.