Stephen Rupp
Data Operatrions Supervisor
Privacy is topic getting a lot attention these days and it’s sometimes not easy to understand how it impacts us.
But each of us is asking what personal information companies are sharing about us, with or without our permission. It’s gone well beyond just ads on webpages. This isn’t just a Facebook, Google, or Amazon discussion anymore – it’s bigger. We all have devices in our pockets/purses/homes. We’re always connected, everywhere we go, leaving a digital trail. Do you know who is monitoring and collecting your data? Answering this question first helps us protect ourselves and make informed decisions.
The national carriers track your location, your web traffic, and your app usage. In fact, one carrier even collects users’ biometric data like fingerprints according to its privacy policy. This data is sold to third parties. In 2020, the FCC accused the big carriers of violating federal law and proposed up to $200 million in fines for making real-time location data available to third parties.
The information/data isn’t being used to make the mobile networks perform better or comply with lawful court requests. Selling data about your health conditions, religious beliefs, travel plans, income level, and the websites you visit is a violation of customer trust. A NTW customer has an expectation of privacy and isn’t a product to be sold to another business or entity. This is a core value for our team and a standard we have always held ourselves to.
NTW is a wireless carrier that separates itself and believes in selling a quality service without reselling its customers. Customers that are after all our families, friends, and neighbors.
References:
https://www.govtech.com/network/wireless-carriers-face-200m-fine-for-selling-location-data.html
https://mashable.com/article/how-to-stop-tmobile-att-verizon-from-sharing-my-data
https://www.cnn.com/2022/08/29/tech/wireless-carriers-locations-fcc/index.html
