Verizon's Offer: Let Us Track You, Get Free Stuff

mpicpp points out a new program from Verizon that is perfect if you don't mind being tracked. Are you comfortable having your location and Web browsing tracked for marketing purposes? If so, Verizon's got a deal for you. The wireless giant announced a new program this week called 'Smart Rewards' that offers customers credit card-style perks like discounts for shopping, travel and dining. You accrue points through the program by doing things like signing onto the Verizon website, paying your bill online and participating in the company's trade-in program. Verizon emphasizes that the data it collects is anonymized before it's shared with third parties. The program is novel in that offers Verizon users some compensation for the collection of their data, which has become big business for telecom and tech companies. Some privacy advocates have pushed data-collecting companies to reward customers for their personal information in the interest of transparency.

Comments

So It's Come to This

[rmdingler]

It sounds like the Google business plan being explained to me like I was five-years-old.

Re:So It's Come to This

[Anonymous Coward]

Except it isn't Google's business plan. Google sells advertising targeting to ad companies. Verizon is selling your data to data mining companies. Google would never sell your data because it's their core business to be the keepers of that data so they can sell targeted ads. Not that Google is altruistic, just that they are themselves the data miners so they are not going to share.

Google offers free services to compensate. Services people tend to find pretty valuable such as Android, Gmail and Search.

Verizon is going to offer "discounts for shopping, travel and dining" read: coupons (ie more advertising).
Verizon is going to "anonymize" your data and sell it to anyone and everyone willing to pay.

I see the exchange of value in one business plan, and not the other.

Let me get this straight...

[newcastlejon]

They're offering me discounts on stuff I probably don't need if I make it easier for people to try and sell me shit I don't want?
Anonymised? Pull the other one.

Re:So, like all other rewards programmes?

[postbigbang]

Your dignity sold. What every ad man wants. Everyone has their price, and the price is frighteningly small.

Verizon already gets LBS, GPS, WiFi, and other info from most phones unless users go to fiendish depth with Snoopwall and other products to stanch the data flow. I'm wondering WHY they're asking for permission. Seems ludicrous to do so when everyone's already giving it up for free. Making it legit?

Legit like net neutrality? Legit like stonewalling their clientele? Doesn't make sense.

Re:NSA and FBI and local cops already do

[Ol Olsoc]

Wow, conspiracy nut..... whats next, the pin prick they give each child at birth for blood typing etc is actually inserting a miniature tracing beacon.

They start even sooner than that. Those sonograms expectant mothers get are actually hypnotoc coded instructions to the fetus that will turn them into jack booted thugs when they hear the keyword "Limbaugh" pronounced backwards. Then the Illuminati and Beyonce will implement the final portions of the new world order.

The clue is in the rainbows we can now see because of the essential fluid weakening chemicals and flourine they have been putting in our water.

Here is the incontrovertble proof. Stop those damn liberals NOW!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

Wake UP America!!