According to Input, the program is called "Verizon Custom Experience" and it is intended to give users more relevant product and service recommendations, and develop plans, services and offers that are more appealing to them.
To do so, the nation's largest mobile carrier needs to see the websites you visit, the apps you use, your location, and the people you contact. The opt-out program of the "Custom Experience" program means that if you don't want to be a part of it, you won't be a part of it.
I have not read anything about the program that would make me want to stay. In an example of how the program could benefit you, the company says it could give you a choice about a concert in its reward program or include music content. The company tries to get you to sign up for Custom Experience Plus.
I can't think of anyone who would want to help with music selection or send targeted ads. It is clear that the primary goal of this program is to collect customer information at a level that would make Facebook blush. For no more than six months, the data about websites you visit is kept by the company, and for up to a year, it keeps location and customer proprietary network information. Call records, including the times and duration of calls, are recorded, but conversations and text messages are not.
We don't give out information that identifies you outside of the program we are in, other than with service providers who work for us. The information is only used for the purposes of the service providers, not for marketing or advertising, according to the website of the company.
Leaving the program is a relatively easy process. You can leave Custom Experience and Custom Experience Plus if you log in to your My Verizon app and enter the settings. For both programs, press the "Don't Use" button.
You can turn off more data-sharing options while you are at it. If you opt out of Custom Experience from within the same settings, you can reset it to stop using web browsing and location data.
I am not a customer of the carrier but the folks at PhoneDog explained how you can prevent them from using your data. Toggling off the Identity Verification settings will opt you out of a program that protects you from identity theft and account takeover.
The latest effort might seem innocuous to some people. How many emails have you received from your carrier? I can't imagine how many people will stay in this program because they didn't know it existed. The News Editor of Gizmodo didn't receive an email from the company, but he found Custom Experience toggling on in his MyVerizon app, which is an opt-in feature.
Andrew Paul says they stumbled across the Custom Experience service because he accidentally opened the email. It is bad enough that your data is being collected by the largest telecom giant in the country, but it is even worse that it is being done by the largest telecom company in the country.
We reached out to the company to learn more about its program, but have not heard back.
