Privacy online has become a rare experience. It used to be that you’d only have to delete your history and cookies to keep your browsing private. Now just about every website collects some information for advertising purposes, especially the websites you likely use most often. Social networks, search engines, retail sites, they’re all collecting your information. You can be clever about it. You can use a browser like Firefox with its tab containers and an add-on like Containerise to force typical spying websites into their own walled off container, unable to spy on your information from other websites. That alone can stop a great deal of tracking. However, your internet service provider (ISP) can also spy on you. Protecting your information on your device is meaningless when your very connection to the internet is tapped.
Verizon recently activated their “Custom Experience” data collection “feature.” This allows Verizon to track your usage “provide you more personalized experiences with Verizon.” It allows Verizon to track and use your information for whatever they want. Usually, that’s selling ads and market research for their own services.
Don’t worry, it’s easy to turn it off, even if Verizon is vile for turning it on by default.
What is Verizon’s Custom Experience?
Verizon’s “Custom Experience” collects information on users to “personalize [Verizon’s] communications with you, give you more relevant product and service recommendations, and develop plans, services and offers that are more appealing to you.” That sounds like ad recommendations. The information they collect depends on the level, Custom Experience or Custom Experience Plus. Both will collect information on users. Verizon’s collecting the numbers you call, who’s calling you, the length of calls, your browsing history, and even your location data. Even if you have location tracking turned off on your phone, Verizon can still get your location from your cell service.
Simply put, Verizon’s able to track much of the data going through their service. If you don’t like that—and you shouldn’t—there is an option to turn it off. Unfortunately, Verizon has turned this on by default, so you’ll have to log in to Verizon’s service to turn it off manually, if you’re a Verizon customer.
Turning Off Verizon’s “Custom Experience”
While you’re there, just turn all tracking off.
Fortunately, this isn’t too difficult. You can do it either from the My Verizon app on your phone or through Verizon’s website. On the website, you’ll go to Account > Account Settings > Privacy Settings. From there, you’ll see Custom Experience and Custom Experience Plus sections at the bottom. Expand these. Select “Don’t Use,” then “Save Changes.” The iOS app is similar. Tap the gear icon in the top right, then scroll down to “Manage Privacy Settings.” Here you can turn off Custom Experience and Custom Experience Plus. The sliders should be to the left.
You can also select Custom Experience Settings and tap reset. If you’ve already been sharing your data with Verizon, this is how you can delete it.
Verizon’s Not Alone
Really, any ISP could be doing this. In fact, AT&T and T-Mobile both have similar systems, which you’ll also have to opt-out of. The process is similar, log in, change your privacy settings, and ask them to delete any information, if they give you the option.
Privacy isn’t something you can expect online anymore. Violating your privacy is profitable and profits are the sole concern of any corporation. Still, most know not to violate your privacy if you specifically ask them not to. That’s the first step towards getting your privacy back from the companies that seek to profit from the minute details of your life.