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Verizon Didn't Bother To Write a Privacy Policy For Its 'Privacy Protecting' VPN (vice.com)

Posted by msmash on from the upon-further-reflection dept.

Jason Koebler writes: Verizon is rolling out a new Virtual Private Network service called Safe Wi-Fi it developed in conjunction with McAfee. According to Verizon, the $4 per month service "protects your privacy and blocks ad tracking, creating a secure Wi-Fi connection anywhere in the world." But the company didn't even write a privacy policy for the product: Verizon's terms of service directs all of its VPN users to the general McAfee privacy policy governing all of its products. That policy, in turn, states that McAfee and Verizon have the right to collect an ocean of data on the end user, including carrier data, Bluetooth device IDs, mobile device ID, mobile advertising identifiers, MAC address, IMEI data, and more. The policy explicitly says that browsing history can be used to help target ads at you.

4 of 50 comments (clear)

  1. Sneaky sneaky by TimothyHollins · · Score: 5, Funny

    So it protects the user from anyone other than Verizon and McAfee from collecting data?

    Smart. Dick move, but smart. It's like a C-level Dracula type evil.

    1. Re:Sneaky sneaky by DarkOx · · Score: 5, Informative

      That's only if it works and it probably doesn't. It takes a lot more than just VPN to provide any reasonable level of privacy or defense against ad tracking these days.

      So basically its sounds like a way for VZ to charge you an extra $4/mo to do something that costs them darn near nothing but provides users with a false sense of security. I'd not be surprised if in a week or two we will learn they used a null cipher for 'performance' as well .

      --
      Repeal the 17th Amendment TODAY! Also Please Read http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/right-to-read.html
  2. Smart phones & privacy? by DogDude · · Score: 4, Insightful

    If you're using a smart phone, chances are, you already don't care about privacy.

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    I don't respond to AC's.
  3. Re:so whatb by DaMattster · · Score: 4, Informative

    most VPN services omit the fact that you are not doing a goddamn thing but masking your IP

    No, your data is encrypted in transit until it exits the VPN. Then it's fair game unless browsing to an https-enabled website.