Slashdot Mirror
Verizon Sues to Stop Privacy Rules; Wants to Sell Call Data
Jake writes "Verizon has asked a federal court to stop state regulators from enforcing new privacy rules that would prohibit telephone companies from using or sharing details about customers' calling habits without permission. Verizon, which serves nearly 1 million customers across Washington state, had plans to begin a data-sharing system that allowed the company and its affiliates to collect information on when, where and how often customers make telephone calls. It would use that data to sell new products and services to customers." "We believe we have certain rights as a corporation to use this information," Verizon's PR person says. Great.
(posting from Poulsbo, WA)
According to the Supreme Court ruling in Santa Clara County v. Southern Pacific Railroad Company, they have the same rights as individuals.
This is when the U.S. began its slide from a representative republic towards a corporate plutocracy.
Use 'slashdot stuff' in the subject line in any email you send me if you want to get past the spam filter.
That's not true. If you're in the US Verizon is required to let you sign up with another service provider if you so choose. Verizon may be the only visible provider in your area, but you do have access to others.
Under capitalism man exploits man. Under communism it's the other way around.
Why else would they have us opt-out instead of in?Seriously, you can answer that question.
Because they want to be able to harvest the information from all the people who just don't care one way or the other. If you have to opt out, you're only getting rid of the ones who actively refuse. You get to keep everyone else.
-72
-Those who dance are considered insane by those who can't hear the music.
Because you are signing away the right when you register the service. Look at the EULA or license agreements these days, they ALL say they can use that data for what ever means they choose.
The government however contradicts this in many cases saying, no, people have a right to privacy and can not be forced to sign it away.
This is why Verizon is suing if I understand it correctly. They want their license agreements to actually be enforcable.
First of all, "everyone" is not saying "so what". In fact looking over the posts it appears to be a select few.
Second the issue with public cameras you stated is an issue because we don't want big brother looking over our shoulder everywhere we go.
Don't try to generalize Americans, it never works.
Rumor has it that Verizon has a huge chunk of Telus (the dominant telco in western Canada) shares, something in the 40% range. If Verizon can complete their little shopping spree at some point and take over, maybe their evil ways will seep north of the border.
The current US government doesn't have the strongest track record in regards to privacy. Lets hope that they truly only care about national security and finding terrorists and prefer to protect privacy in all other cases... and that view is shared by the judicial branch.
perl -e 'print $i=pack(c5, (41*2), sqrt(7056), (unpack(c,H)-2), oct(115), 10)'
They are required to allow you to sign up with another LONG-DISTANCE provider, just like all of the telcos. They are NOT required to allow you to use another local provider, especially since they will tend to be the only ones operating in a region. The only change to this is if they don't have ownership of the physical cable, but that only happens in MDU's.
I've been called a "Fucking Dick" by better people than you.
If you want to get results:
Phone your Verizon rep and voice your opposition to their appeal to the federal court
Tell them you do not want your personal information given to direct marketers
Tell them you do not want your personal information used to receive products and services courtesy of Verizon.
If they do business in your state, they are obligated to state business laws.
Enough!
Eternity: will that be smoking, or non-smoking? I Corinthians 6:9-10
Actually, I had a similar situation....Verizon want a 75$ advance on the first bill and a 50$ deposit that they would keep for a year and NOT automatically send it back to me at the end of that year. When I asked about this, the rep said it was 'a state law', which immediately set off red flags.
I let the rep set up the order, and proceeded to ask my friends and coworkers if they ever heard anything like this. Of course no one had, so a few days later, I ordered service through thier website and called to confirm the order with a different rep. Everything was set to go, with no deposit or advance required.
The moral of this story is that while these companies are huge and monolithic, there is also the weak underside of beauracracy and miscommunication that we can take advantage of.
This doesn't excuse such behavior on the part of Verizon, however.
when all is said and done, all a man has left are his blades and his honor.
I think we can all agree that this is both illegal and immoral, but what can we do about it? You have two options.
Which would you say is a more effective method? Those of you who guessed the second are correct. When you cancel, one of three things will happen. The first is that you will get an automated box. The second is that a person will handle your cancellation. The third is that a person will handle your cancellation and ask you why you cancelled. If it was because the invasion of privacy, do you think they care? No. They will only record it if it were something out of their control (moving, etc.).
So, why is going to your local politician a better option? The answer is that they can do something about it. You cannot (or, if you can, it's only a small fraction of what they can do) change these things. They can. They can enact laws, they can petition for laws revoked, they can influence people that are higher up. Hell, maybe one day they will become FCC Chairman and your little phone call with influence them!
The moral of the story is that you need to do something about it. Don't cancel your service, do something more proactive. Write your local politician. Contribute to the EFF, actually vote for someone who cares and will change things, there might even be a referendum relating to this that you can directly vote for/against. Do something.
Everyone talks about the companies, but not the people who RUN the company.
Maybe you heard of a scum bag over at the RIAA, Hillary Rosen?
Look who runs Verizon.
James R. Barker, Chairman of Interlake Steamship Co. and Vice Chairman of Mormac Marine Group, Inc. and Moran Towing Corporation. Director of The Pittston Company. Director since June 2000 (Director of GTE Corporation 1976-2000); Chairperson of Public Policy Committee and member of Audit and Finance Committee. Age 66.
Edward H. Budd, Retired Chairman, Travelers Corporation. Director of Delta Airlines, Inc. Director since June 2000 (Director of GTE Corporation 1985-2000); member of Audit and Finance Committee and Corporate Governance Committee. Age 68.
Richard L. Carrion, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Popular, Inc. (bank holding company) and Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, Banco Popular de Puerto Rico. Director of Telecomunicaciones de Puerto Rico, Inc; Wyeth. Director since 1997 (Director of NYNEX Corporation 1995-1997); member of Human Resources Committee and Public Policy Committee. Age 49.
Robert F. Daniell, Retired Chairman, United Technologies Corporation; Chairman (1987-1997). Director of Shell Oil Company. Director since June 2000 (Director of GTE Corporation 1996-2000); member of Human Resources Committee and Public Policy Committee. Age 68.
Helene L. Kaplan, Of Counsel, law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP. Director of Exxon Mobil Corporation; J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.; The May Department Stores Company; Metropolitan Life, Inc. and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. Director since 1997 (Director of NYNEX Corporation 1990-1997); Chairperson of Corporate Governance Committee and member of Audit and Finance Committee. Age 68.
Charles R. Lee, Chairman of the Board since April 1, 2002. Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer (June 2000 - March 2002). Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, GTE Corporation (1992-2000). Director of Marathon Oil Corporation; The Procter & Gamble Company; United States Steel Corporation; United Technologies Corporation. Director since June 2000 (Director of GTE Corporation 1989- 2000). Age 62.
Sandra O. Moose, Senior Vice President and Director of The Boston Consulting Group, Inc. Director of Rohm and Haas Company; CDC-IXIS Funds. Director since June 2000 (Director of GTE Corporation 1978-2000); member of Audit and Finance Committee and Corporate Governance Committee. Age 60.
Joseph Neubauer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ARAMARK Corporation (managed services); President (1983-1997). Director of CIGNA Corporation; Federated Department Stores; First Union Corporation. Director since 1995; member of Human Resources Committee and Public Policy Committee. Age 60.
Thomas H. O'Brien, Retired Chairman, The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. Director of BlackRock, Inc.; Hilb, Rogal and Hamilton Company; USAirways. Director since 1987; Chairperson of Audit and Finance Committee and member of Public Policy Committee. Age 65.
Russell E. Palmer, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Palmer Group (corporate investment firm). Director of Honeywell International Inc.; The May Department Stores Company; Safeguard Scientifics, Inc. Director since June 2000 (Director of GTE Corporation 1984-2000); Chairperson of Human Resources Committee and member of Corporate Governance Committee. Age 67.
Hugh B. Price, President and Chief Executive Officer, National Urban League. Director of Metropolitan Life, Inc. and Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Sears, Roebuck and Co. Director since 1997 (Director of NYNEX Corporation 1995-1997); member of Audit and Finance Committee and Corporate Governance Committee. Age 60.
Ivan G. Seidenberg, President and Chief Executive Officer since April 1, 2002. President and Co-Chief Executive Officer (June 2000 - March 2002). Chairman of the Board (December 1998-June 2000) and Chief Executive Officer (June 1998-June 2000); Vice Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer (1997-1998); Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, NYNEX Corporation (1995-1997). Director of Boston Properties, Inc.; CVS Corporation; Honeywell International Inc.; Viacom, Inc.; Wyeth. Director since 1997 (Director of NYNEX Corporation 1991-1997). Age 55.
Walter V. Shipley, Retired Chairman, The Chase Manhattan Corporation; Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (1983-1992; 1994-1999). Director of Exxon Mobil Corporation; Wyeth. Director since 1997 (Director of NYNEX Corporation 1983-1997); member of Corporate Governance Committee and Human Resources Committee. Age 66.
John W. Snow, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer, CSX Corporation (global freight). Director of Circuit City Stores, Inc.; Johnson & Johnson; United States Steel Corporation. Director since June 2000 (Director of GTE Corporation 1998-2000); member of Human Resources Committee and Public Policy Committee. Age 62.
John R. Stafford, Chairman, Wyeth (pharmaceutical and healthcare products). Honeywell International Inc.; J.P. Morgan Chase & Co. Director since 1997 (Director of NYNEX Corporation 1989-1997); member of Audit and Finance Committee and Public Policy Committee. Age 64.
Robert D. Storey, Partner, law firm of Thompson, Hine & Flory LLP. Director of The Procter & Gamble Company. Director since June 2000 (Director of GTE Corporation 1985-2000); member of Audit and Finance Committee and Public Policy Committee. Age 65.
Regulated monopolies are a very special type of corporation - they've convinced the state to forbid other companies to compete with them, and to give them lots of other special status, in return for regulation to limit their activities in ways that ostensibly protect the public from abuse of the monopoly. Restrictions on their use of customer data are a reasonable and highly appropriate restriction, and if Verizon doesn't like it, they can see if they can get the state to let them out of the regulations in return for giving up their monopoly status - fat chance they'll go for that. Or they can threaten to sell their phone company monopoly territory to other people.
I've spent most of my career working for various parts of The Phone Company (not Verizon...), and my view is that the whole "natural monopoly" theory that was invented to justify granting regulated monopoly status was a total crock, and that Theodore Vail, the robber baron who got the Bell System into its dominant monopoly status, could have done better things with his life and his company, and the US (and indirectly, the rest of the world), would have been able to do much more technical innovation if the phone companies and radio broadcasting quasi-monopolies hadn't been done. Needless to say, this is not my employer's official opinion, except for the approximately one three-millionth of them that I own :-)
Bill Stewart
New Fast-Compression-only CPR http://preview.tinyurl.com/dy575ks
Meanwhile in Finland, the Central Crime Police (that investigates the most serious crimes that the local police units don't handle) is holding at least three top security officers of a major telco Sonera in pretrial custody, because these people have allegedly used the call log records for investigating who from inside Sonera has talked to reporters.
By the way, privacy is a constitutional right in Finland.