VZW CPNI (permission to snoop and share your info unless you opt out)

[55pilot]

In order to better serve your communications needs and to identify, offer and provide products and services to meet your requirements...

There is a name for this kinds of services. It is called SPAM. Once they collect enough data on you they can sell the data to advertisers so they can send you "targeted advertising" which is the holy grail of the advertising industry and can make a lot of money for whoever can provide the targeting data. Worse than that, there is nothing stopping them from selling the data to companies that want to check up on you specifically.

I do not know how far they are actually willing and able to go, but here are some things that are technically possible:

Your phone is spotted at Supermarket A regularly. They can sell your data to Supermarket B and C so they can try and get you as a customers.

Your phone is spotted at coffee shops. Now, as you drive down the road you get a text every minute or two from coffee shops you are driving by.

You send texts to numbers in Europe. Your number is sold to airlines that fly to Europe.

You routinely drive over the speed limit (they know via GPS). Your number is sold to radar detector companies and lawyers specializing in speeding tickets.

Your car insurance company can buy data about your driving habits (speed, frequent lane changes, rapid acceleration, acceleration approaching intersections) so they can set your rates appropriately.

Maybe your health insurance company gives you a discount for belonging to a gym (mine does). Then they can buy the data to see if you actually show up there. While they are at it, they want to know if you hang out at bars.

You fly to some place and turn on your phone after landing. Before the airplane gets to the gate, you already have 10 spam texts from local hotels, eateries and escort services.

Since the permission does not specify what is out of bounds, they can even scan all your texts to get a better picture of what is going on in your life at the moment. Imagine that you get an alert that you have 4 texts. The first one is from your spouse, followed by 3 from local florists suggesting you send her flowers because she is mad at you! The technology is already there for it.

 

[VZW_CS]

Verizon Wireless does not sell or share your information. The information we compile through CPNI is used to determine how people use their phones so we can align our products and services with our customers needs. Of course, Verizon Wireless understands privacy is important and respect any person(s) opting out of this service.

To read more about CPNI and our commitment to your privacy go here: Verizon | About Verizon - Privacy Policy Summary

Thank you!
VZW_CS
Follow us on Twitter @VZWSupport

 

[55pilot]

Verizon Wireless does not sell or share your information.

Amazing that you are willing claim that when the very link you provide says otherwise. Did you even read what you linked?

Specifically, your link says (with my highlights): "Except in certain circumstances explained in our privacy policy, Verizon does not sell, license or share information that individually identifies our customers with others outside of Verizon for non-Verizon purposes without your consent." In other words, you do share the information, except you do in "certain circumstances" So much for the non-qualified claim that you don't.

I know that "certain circumstances" sounds so benign that maybe people will be willing to ignore it. But humor me and lets explore what it actually means. When you follow the link to the more detailed explanation, it states (with my highlights): "We share information with those vendors and partners to the extent necessary for them to perform work on our behalf or to participate in joint marketing offers with Verizon." In other words, Verizon will NOT sell your data to a hypothetical company "Coffee Marketing" to spam you every time you drive near a coffee shop. That is good. BUT, Verizon can enter into a joint marketing agreement with them and then they are allowed to do just that. Oops.

But, it gets worse. later in the same section it states: "If Verizon enters into a merger, acquisition or sale of all or a portion of its assets or business, customer information will also be transferred as part of or in connection with the transaction." Sounds like pretty benign and boiler plate language. But, there is the catch. Verizon can form a unit that collects data about whatever. As already discussed, it is perfectly within the contract for them to do so for their internal use only.

Then, one day they decide to sell that unit. That is within their rights as well. The above clause allows them to sell the data owned by that unit. That is not good, but what is the harm in that happening one time? Nothing, except that it can happen once a week or even once a day. In other words, they can not sell the data but they can sell the portion of the company that owns that data and they can keep spawning those as frequently as they like. The buyer gets a steady stream of the very data they claim they do not share with anyone, and technically they don't.

Finally, we have not addressed the biggest hole. There is nothing preventing a company from changing its policy in the future and selling the data it has already accumulated. At that time you can opt out from data collection, but you can not do that retroactively.

 

[SeekerOfTheWay]

Why do we have to enter our billing account password? I don't like that.

 

[jerry42570]

Thanks for the heads up! Just changed mine. Can't wait until my contracts are all up....long story that I don't want to get into here.

Why do we have to enter our billing account password? I don't like that.

This is a security feature. Any changes to the account have to be made by the contract signer and authorized account managers. This prevents others from doing so.

 

[Eric2]

NOTE TO OTHERS WITH MULTIPLE LINES.
I tried to change mine via the link in the e-mail, but got a letter saying it didn't work. So I called the phone number, which worked...but only changed it for MY phone number - not my wife's. To do that, apparently one has to log in to the website.

 

[urphonesux]

I just received this email on yesterday and almost missed it too because it didnt go to my bills folder:


Dear Valued Customer,
At Verizon Wireless, we value you as a customer, and we know how important privacy is to you. As a company, we have a long-standing policy of guarding personal customer information.
This notice contains information about Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI). Verizon Wireless needs your permission to share your CPNI within the Verizon family of companies, which includes our affiliates, agents and parent companies (including Vodafone), as well as their subsidiaries. This information allows us to better serve you by identifying, offering and providing the most appropriate communications products and services to fit your needs. You have the right to request that we not share such information, so please read this notice carefully.
Regardless of your decision, your CPNI will never be shared by Verizon Wireless with any unrelated third parties.
As your wireless provider, Verizon Wireless may have certain information about you that is made available to us solely by virtue of our relationship with you, such as details regarding the telecommunications services you purchase, as well as the type, destination, technical configuration, location and amount of use of such services. This information and related billing details are known as CPNI. The protection of your CPNI is important to us, and we acknowledge that you have a right, and we have a duty under federal and state law, to protect the confidentiality of this information.
You have a right to request that your CPNI remain private, and may do so by clicking the Do Not Share My CPNI button below. Unless you notify us within 45 days of receiving this notice that you do not want your CPNI shared, we will assume that you give us the right to share your CPNI with authorized companies described above.

Please be advised if you allow your CPNI to be shared, your consent will remain valid until we receive your notice withdrawing it, or for two years, whichever comes first. You may withdraw your consent at any time through My Verizon.
If you would like more information on CPNI and selecting not to share, please review the frequently asked questions.
Sincerely, Verizon Wireless


I opted out because my business is my business!
Its funny that they ask even though I am quite sure that this is already happening.
Even funnier that it automatically goes into effect if u dont opt of it manually. Why can it just automatically opt me out of it unless i manually ask to be "snooped"?


Thanks for that Eric2, Ive got to call them today anyway

 

[Steven58]

unstuck... if anyone has an objection, pm me or a guide, I don't care.... if you want it back I'll stick it. I think it's outlived its use?