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Newsjock

(11,733 posts) Mon Feb 16, 2015, 10:17 PM Feb 2015

AT&T charges fiber customers $29/month extra to not spy on their web browsing

Source: Ars Technica

AT&T's gigabit fiber-to-the-home service has just arrived in Kansas City, and the price is the same as Google Fiber—if you let AT&T track your Web browsing history.

Just as it did when launching its "GigaPower" service in Austin, Texas in late 2013, AT&T offers different prices based on how jealously users guard their privacy. AT&T's $70 per-month pricing for gigabit service is the same price as Google Fiber, but AT&T charges an additional $29 a month to customers who opt out of AT&T's "Internet Preferences" program.

AT&T says it tracks "the webpages you visit, the time you spend on each, the links or ads you see and follow, and the search terms you enter... AT&T Internet Preferences works independently of your browser's privacy settings regarding cookies, do-not-track, and private browsing. If you opt-in to AT&T Internet Preferences, AT&T will still be able to collect and use your Web browsing information independent of those settings."

Read more: http://arstechnica.com/business/2015/02/att-charges-29-more-for-gigabit-fiber-that-doesnt-watch-your-web-browsing/

8 replies

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AT&T charges fiber customers $29/month extra to not spy on their web browsing (Original Post) Newsjock Feb 2015 OP

Wouldn't it be cheaper just to get a VPN... villager Feb 2015 #1

Some ISPs block VPN, don't know about ATT. n/t RKP5637 Feb 2015 #3

They don't. Glassunion Feb 2015 #5

How would you know if they stopped tracking you when you paid? Moliere Feb 2015 #2

Excellent question!!!!! n/t RKP5637 Feb 2015 #4

Yea...like I would trust them to stop. dixiegrrrrl Feb 2015 #6

Precisely Sherman A1 Feb 2015 #7

The day google fiber becomes operational in my neighborhood, AT&T can go suck eggs. hobbit709 Feb 2015 #8

villager

(26,001 posts)

1. Wouldn't it be cheaper just to get a VPN...

Reply to Newsjock (Original post)

Mon Feb 16, 2015, 10:19 PM

Feb 2015

...to keep ATT from snooping?

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)

3. Some ISPs block VPN, don't know about ATT. n/t

Reply to villager (Reply #1)

Mon Feb 16, 2015, 10:42 PM

Feb 2015

Glassunion

(10,201 posts)

5. They don't.

Reply to RKP5637 (Reply #3)

Mon Feb 16, 2015, 10:44 PM

Feb 2015

Moliere

(285 posts)

2. How would you know if they stopped tracking you when you paid?

Reply to Newsjock (Original post)

Mon Feb 16, 2015, 10:41 PM

Feb 2015

RKP5637

(67,112 posts)

4. Excellent question!!!!! n/t

Reply to Moliere (Reply #2)

Mon Feb 16, 2015, 10:43 PM

Feb 2015

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

6. Yea...like I would trust them to stop.

Reply to Moliere (Reply #2)

Mon Feb 16, 2015, 11:58 PM

Feb 2015

I suspect they track with or without payment.
Remember they were the first to snoop on all our phone calls back when it was reported they had a special center in SF for spying.

Sherman A1

(38,958 posts)

7. Precisely

Reply to Moliere (Reply #2)

Tue Feb 17, 2015, 05:06 AM

Feb 2015

hobbit709

(41,694 posts)

8. The day google fiber becomes operational in my neighborhood, AT&T can go suck eggs.

Reply to Newsjock (Original post)

Tue Feb 17, 2015, 06:37 AM

Feb 2015

And worse than just tracking your browsing, the small print wants to access your hard drive and look at your files.

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