AT&T Offers $70 (Sort-Of) Gigabit Internet… If You Let It Snoop On Your Browsing History
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AT&T has finally kicked off its gigabit Internet service in some parts of Austin, and is offering people high-speed fiber access “for as low as $70 a month.**” See those two stars? They’re kind of important, as the only way you’re getting that $70 price is if you sign up for a program that gives AT&T access to your web browsing habits so it can serve you up even more ads.
To be precise, customers signing up for that $70 offer have to enroll in AT&T Internet Preferences, a program that “may use your Web browsing information, like the search terms you enter and the Web pages you visit, to provide you relevant offers and ads tailored to your interests.” If you don’t opt into the Internet Preferences thingamajig, the cost is $99/month.
GigaOm’s Stacey Higginbotham reached out to AT&T for more specifics on exactly how the company plans to track customers’ browsing habits and received a typically vague response from the Death Star:
“We use various methods to collect web browsing information, and we are currently reviewing the methods we may use for the Internet Preferences program. Whichever method is used, we will not collect information from secure (https) or otherwise encrypted sites, such as online banking or when a credit card is used to buy something online on a secure site. And we won’t sell your personal information to anyone, for any reason.”
http://consumerist.com/2013/12/11/att-offers-70-sort-of-gigabit-internet-if-you-let-it-snoop-on-your-browsing-history/
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