Verizon Is Tracking Everything You Do Online. Here’s How To Turn It Off.
Remember when we told you that Facebook is tracking everything you do off of Facebook? Well, if that wasn’t upsetting enough, Verizon is now doing it too.
Verizon Is Tracking Everything You Do Online. The official program is called the “Custom Experience” and is now bring rebranded to be named the “Custom Experience Plus” and luckily you can turn it off by opting out.
What Is The Verizon Custom Experience Plus?
The Verizon Custom Experience Plus is a program that allows Verizon to track all app and web browsing activity on any device on its network unless customers turn it off by opting out.
What Is Verizon Tracking?
Verizon is tracking all app and web browsing activity on any device that is on their network. They also track information about your phone calls.
According to the Verizon website, they can track the following:
Custom Experience uses information about the websites you visit and the apps you use on your mobile device to help us determine your interests, such as “sports lover” or “outdoor enthusiast.” We use only the first part of the web addresses (URLs) you visit (the part that includes the top level domain and subdomain of the URL); we do not use information past the first “/” or “?” in the URL. For example, we would be able to infer you are interested in “news” if you visit a news-related website, but we wouldn’t know what news article you read.
Custom Experience Plus uses the same information as Custom Experience and also uses:Device location information we obtain from the Verizon network and from Verizon apps you have permitted to collect location for these purposes;
Information about your Verizon Fios services; and
Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI), including information about the phone numbers you call or that call you and the times you receive these calls. It also includes information about the quantity, type, destination, location, and amount of use of your Verizon telecommunications and interconnected voice over internet protocol (VoIP) services and related billing information.
Does Verizon Track Phone Calls, Texts and Emails?
According to Verizon’s terms and conditions of the Custom Experience Program, they do not track the content of your texts, calls or emails. They do however, use call detail records including the phone numbers you call and those that call you, and the times and durations of the calls.
Why Is Verizon Tracking Online Activity?
Verizon is tracking online activity to try to improve customer experiences. According to Verizon:
“Our Custom Experience program, a new program that will allow Verizon – and only Verizon – to use certain information to personalize our customers’ experiences and interactions with us.”
How To Turn Verizon Tracking Off
If you are currently a Verizon customer, you can turn off tracking by opting out. Here’s how to do this:
- Login to your Verizon Account (you may need to do this through your Verizon app)
- Select “Account” then “Account Settings”
- Select “Privacy Settings” then “Custom Experience and Custom Experience Plus”
- Select “Disable All”
Verizon has confirmed the new Custom Experience program will begin in 2022, after all eligible customers have been notified about the program and given at least 30 days to opt out. New lines of service will be notified at the time of activation and will also have at least 30 days to opt out before becoming part of the program.
Personally, I am glad that I don’t have Verizon service but I am pretty sure so many other places do this without telling us. It’s sleazy and wrong for sure.
Bottom line is, if you want more privacy, just opt out of the Verizon tracking and you should be good.
Photos courtesy of Deposit Photos.
