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Verizon Wants To Share Your Personal Information
hyades1 writes "Gizmodo reports that Verizon is sending out notification letters infested with virtually-indecipherable legalese. In their sneaky, underhanded way, they're informing you that you have 45 days to opt out of their plan to share your personal data with 'affiliates, agents and parent companies.' That data can include, but isn't limited to, 'services purchased (including specific calls you make and receive), billing info, technical info and location info.' If you view your statement on-line, you won't even get the letter. You'll have to access your account and view your messages. However, Read Write Web says the link provided there, called the 'Customer Proprietary Network Information Notice,' was listed as 'not available.' No doubt Verizon would like to reassure you that everyone they're going to hand your personal data over to will have your best interests at heart."
Look, I know the UK gets slammed regularly here on Slashdot for CCTV privacy issues and government spying, but at least we have a halfway decent Data Protection Act with teeth. A company pulling this kind of shit wouldnt get 2 steps in the UK. Doesnt the US have something similar to deter blatant abuses like this?
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beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master
While people will complain about this now, and talk about switching to Comcast or whoever, what will happen next is that Comcast &c. will do the same thing, and there'll be noplace left to switch to.
Since it's unlikely there will ever be any sort of sufficient regulation of this behaviour by the government, the obvious solution is for everybody to use VOIP and run TOR. But that's unlikely too.
I guess what I'm saying is, I've lost all faith in large companies to do the right thing. After I saw my tax dollars pay CEOs large bonuses, I just gave up. Game's over man.
Of course, this happens right as people start forgetting about how much Verizon sucks at math.
dammit.
file 'sharing' is wrong. or so we're told.
but DATA sharing, if done by multi million corps - that's ok. yeah....
its not sharing, its SELLING.
orwell was right - you can control thoughts via language. give words an incorrect meaning or redefine them and you're halfway there.
similarly, copying bits is not THEFT but copyright violation. again, manipulating our words to make things not quite what they really are.
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"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
They're a regulated monopoly.. why do they need other "revenue streams"? They're not a "normal" company in that they can ask for rate increases to cover any operational losses... they have no need for income streams from other purposes... they shouldn't be handing out customer data.. because you have no real way to opt out of their monopoly.
Bullshit about obligations to shareholders. The shareholders invest their money of their own free will. If they think they've made a bad bargain then they shouldn't have invested or should sell their shares. And it stops there. If someone gives me £500, I'm not obliged to go out and kill their rich grandparent for them. Why not? Because it's against the law and they didn't give me the money on the expectation that I would go out and indulge in unethical behaviour on their part and if they did then more fool them.
Companies don't exist as indivisible entities. Somewhere there are people saying "lets violate people's privacy" and they should be personally held accountable because they are personally responsible.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
Opting out was painless, just had to call a number and it was automated... *however* people should have to opt *IN* not opt out.
But then they'd have to offer you something in return, to entice you to opt in. The underhanded way they're doing it, it costs them nothing. Most likely, their income from selling customer information won't be reduced unless quite a lot of subscribers opt out.
Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. - Voltaire
That certainly is the purpose. And a child can say that his friends told him to do something wrong. In either case the purpose is to pretend the responsibility lies elsewhere. That doesn't mean it does.
Law, especially the law around very big businesses, is not always the same as what is right and wrong. We shouldn't allow the passing of a law to change our principles. Laws can be changed.
Aide-toi, le Ciel t'aidera - Jeanne D'Arc.
Then other people who agree with the case of the plaintiff should show that support by donating money or time to a common fund, much like donating money to NewYorkCountryLawyer's website for the outstanding work he does.
One man cannot win any battle, but it only takes one spokesperson to rally a thousand supporters. It's a question of who is willing to put their neck on the line. If I could guarantee that the rest of the nation wouldn't be the apathetic, TV-hungry baffoons we know them to be, I'd be first in the queue, believe me.
Finally had enough. Come see us over at https://soylentnews.org/
VZ top mgmt would sell their own mothers. Of course, they want to sell YOURS first.
actually I disagree. That is one of the things a corperation does, and is, in my mind, a perversion to be considered the only reason.
The purpose of a corperation is to make money for its shareholders by providing benefit to community by fullfilling one or more of their needs in exchange for money.
The benefit to the community should be considered as much the purpose of the busisness as the making of the money, and whenever it isn't, is when you see these sorts of gross abuses.
Frankly, I think we should have regulation that forbids the formation of any company that doesn't state as part of its purpose that one of its core purposes is anything other than benefit to the community.
After all, thats why we give them the privilege of limited liability.
-Steve
"I opened my eyes, and everything went dark again"
Because unofficially, I bet they are doing it already. No everyone who pays enough or is a TLA (three letter agency)
Any sufficiently advanced intelligence is indistinguishable from stupidity.