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Cell carriers can use your web history for ads

Washington Post: “Here’s how you can opt out of carriers’ ad programs, which run on your personal data. When you signed up for your cellphone plan, your carrier may have signed you up for something extra: a program that uses data including your Internet history to target you with ads. I visited my own Verizon account settings and found that yep, I was enrolled in what the company calls “Custom Experience.” Not only do I have no memory of saying yes, I had no idea wireless carriers were in the business of peeking in on my activities and using that information to market to me. And my blissful ignorance works in the company’s favor…I read privacy policies from the three major wireless carriers — Verizon, AT&T and T-Mobile — and my eyeballs are only bleeding a little. All three carriers have some less-than-great privacy practices hiding in plain sight. Depending on the carrier, they can draw on your Internet history, app use, location and call history to learn things about you and nudge you to spend more money on products from themselves or third-party companies…”

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