Verizon users are now automatically enrolls in a data collection program that tracks information such as websites visited and mobile app usage. Recently reported by Input, the telecommunications company that runs a two-tiered tracking program and automatically register every customer in the first step.
The Verizon Custom Experience and Custom Experience Plus programs are a rebranding of Verizon Selects, Released in 2012 to help marketers target smartphone users with greater precision. While customers have the option to opt in to Verizon Selects, you must manually opt out of Verizon Custom Experiences.
Unlike Verizon Selects, the new programs don’t share your collected data with third-party advertisers. Your personal information is for internal use only by Verizon. Privacy-minded individuals should still consider opting out if they want their data not to be collected and stored by the telecom giant for months.
What information does Verizon collect?
Again, every Verizon user is automatically enrolled in the Custom Experiences program. This tier doesn’t track as much data as the higher tier, Custom Experience Plus, but the basic tier still records the websites you visit and the apps you use. According to Verizon, website data is stored “for no more than six months”. Application data storage process is not specified above Company FAQ page.
If you were a member of the old Verizon Selects plan in the past, the company has invited you to join the Custom Experience Plus program. In addition to all the information from the first tier, Custom Experience Plus tracks your location and device data about Verizon’s Fios internet services. The program also tracks who you are talking to and when you are talking to them through the call log. The information stored does not include the content of your calls or messages. Verizon claims that location and phone call data is kept on file “for about a year.”
It should be noted that Verizon shares selected user data with third parties as part of its Identity Verification program. Shared data may include information about your device, account, and user profile.
How do I opt out?
First, sign in to your Verizon account through your web browser or the My Verizon mobile app. Choose Account tab, then click Account Settings and privacy settings on the web. For the mobile app, click the gear icon in the upper right corner and Manage privacy settings.
On the security options page, web users can choose Do not use under Custom Experiences and Custom Experiences Plus. On the My Verizon app, toggle any of the green sliders on the left.
If you’d like to remove yourself from Identity Verification, move the slider to the left on your mobile device, or select Disagree on the web.
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