Information I didn’t know my wireless and home Internet service provider gathers, direct from their privacy policy:
Here’s some of the information we collect:
Account Information includes your name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, service-related details such as payment data, security codes, service history and other information like that;
Network Performance & Usage Information tells us how you use our networks, our products and our services, and how well our equipment and networks are performing;
Web Browsing & Wireless Application Information tells us about the websites you visit and the mobile applications you use on our networks;
Location Information tells us where your wireless device is located, as well as your ZIP-code and street address;
TV Viewing Information tells us about which programs you watch and record and similar information about how you use our video services and applications.
Bullet points #3, #4, and #5 I find highly intrusive. Bullet #2 makes me uneasy because it’s so vague.
As a subscriber I have to agree to this privacy policy, there’s no opt out. My only recourse in the marketplace is to switch providers.
My second recourse is to lobby for legislation that restricts these types of intrusive information collection.
I believe privacy means that what I do in my home is my own business — that includes how and why I use other utilities like electricity, gas, and water is my own business for which I pay a monthly usage fee (and am very willing to pay). Why should my Internet Service Provider (ISP) get to know which “websites [I] visit” when I’m browsing the Internet from home?