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width="400">While I could have gone with the ubiquitous 'Big Brother Is Watching You' up thur in the title, that doesn't even come close to what Verizon is catching flak today for doing. I'll let Bill Diggins, U.S. chief for the Verizon Wireless marketing initiative sum it up for you: "We're able to view just everything that they do, and that's really where data is going these days. Data is the new oil."
Not only is Verizon collecting data on what apps you use (both and Android and iOS), which apps are heavily used in which locations, web browsing activities, customer age, customer gender, and finer points about your personality such as "sports enthusiast, frequent diner or pet owner."; but they are selling that data to marketing firms. Big Red is arguing that what they are doing is 'perfectly legal' because the data is anonymously aggregated. They also use the typical excuse that any customer can opt out ( ) whenever they wish, however until stories like this break no one ever hears that this data is being collected; let alone how and where to opt out.
Sound familiar? This is exactly the type of unscrupulous data scrubbing that bankrupted NebuAd after they were forced through a congressional hearing over their collection practices. What Big Red is doing also comes dangerously close to violating national wiretap laws, and to be honest I don't see how this is any different. At all. It's actually worse, here's why...
Look at what wiretap laws are set up to protect us against; unlawful and unannounced collection of our personal data. I find it extremely funny that the word 'data' describes two completely different mediums here, but is completely apt in both of these situations. The thing that most people should be screaming from the rooftops about is the fact that not only is Verizon collecting our most personal details, the information we push and pull from our (wireless) computers, but selling this information at a premium to marketing firms.
While Verizon claims that because the data is collected without any type of identifying information attached it is perfectly legal, I find two things absolutely abhorrent about this situation. One, the information is being sold to advertisers for the purpose of targeting us more efficiently with their obnoxious and hyper-saturated banners and landing pages. How can Verizon say this practice does not affect us when the whole point of the firms' buying this data is so they can identify who we are?? Just because our names are not attached to this information doesn't mean they are not selling us out. Think about it; they are now able to locate us (whether that is somewhere on the internet or in real life is a moot point) by using our browsing data against us.
And two, Verizon is back on their heels trying to convince us that what they are doing is legal. Look, If you are having to argue if something is morally right then you may have done nothing wrong. But if you skip that argument entirely and go straight to 'you can't put us in jail, the law says we're cool bro' then you know you are doing something wrong; you're literally trying to hide behind the law. That is the main point here Verizon, you know perfectly well that what you are doing is not right. Maybe you need to take a step back and ask yourselves exactly what kind of people you want to be, Verizon executives. Do you want to be the slimy corporate rats hiding behind 'the law' in order to squeeze as much money as you can out of your loyal customers? Or do you want to be remembered as people who did the right thing; not when prompted, but on your own. Now go to time out...
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