AT&T claims to own your personal data

Great Debates
#1

AT&T put out a new privacy policy today, and is requiring customer approval as a condition of service.

Per the new policy, AT&T states that they own all confidential data, not their customers, and that they can use it, among other things, to “protect its legitimate business interests”. The new policy also allows AT&T to track what their video service customer are watching.This article states that this new privacy policy is specifically for Internet and Video users.

AT&T is saying that this is just a more explicit statement of past policy.

Interestingly, the new policy no longer includes the

I’ve been unable to find a copy of the actual AT&T privacy policy.

Do you feel that a company owns your personal data, or do you? Will this policy change who you choose to do business with?

#2

I haven’t read it, so I can’t weigh in with an opinion, but it’s right here: http://www.att.com/privacy/

#3

There are some handy links here at arstechnica.

This is being portrayed by the technical media as a response to the EFF’s current lawsuit against AT&T.

Lets also not forget that tracking viewing habbits of customers is currently illegal for the cable industry. The more information that gets revealed, the more it seems AT&T is just another department under the executive branch.

#4

This is one small part of the vast social changes happening today. You lose a little bit of privacy here, a little bit of your rights there…in 100 years there won’t be much left. And as big a deal as this whole thing is I don’t see too many people getting worked up about it which is why it is such a success and will continue for the forseeable future.

#5

It is not that they ‘OWN’ your personal information as that they have it on record.
They claim the perogative of using it to promote their business within AT&T and with and by its affiliates.
The only alternative is to cease doing business wiht AT&T and request that they remove your records from their files. :rolleyes:

#6

The term personal data has no meaning. It is At&t data and belongs to them. We lose again.They sell it to anyone at any time. You get squat. The internet will go the same way. Their lines ,their data. We gave that to them by not fighting the net neutrality law. If all you can do is write ,call or email your representatives . Do it. Enough noise will help.

#7

Yes, unless you have a user agreement in which they pledge not to sell or give away your “personal information” without your permission, which a number of companies are doing nowadays. I’m not going to cry foul as long as they aren’t promising one thing and doing another, though.