T-Mobile will soon implement a new privacy policy that makes it possible to share certain types of customer information with third-party advertisers. From 26 April 2021, all customers will automatically opt in to the new program, as seen by The Wall Street Journal. Customers who do not want to participate must manually withdraw it using the privacy tools of their accounts.
The new policy of T-Mobile does not differ from AT&T or Verizon. However, this is a common sight for former Sprint customers. In its announcement of the policy change, T-Mobile acknowledges that Sprint offered a similar optionin service rather than an opt-out service.
The new policy contains the same kind of provisions as AT&T and Verizon for sharing user data with third-party marketers in the name of more relevant advertising. The companies say that data they share does not reveal the identity of individual customers and that they do not share information related to a child’s device or service.
Just as harmless as the carriers make this practice sound, it is something for which people are becoming increasingly cautious. In response, companies like Google are working to make their data collection and sharing practices less intrusive.
If you do not want your service provider to share data about you with advertisers, it is easy enough to opt out of these services. AT&T customers can subscribe to the sharing of data from third parties by gaining access to their privacy controls. Similarly, Verizon customers can sign in to My Verizon to withdraw from what they call ‘Relevant Mobile Advertising’.