T-Mobile will share subscriber data with ad partners - unless you opt-out

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone
T-Mobile plans to enroll its wireless subscribers -- including iPhone users -- automatically into a program that will use their online activity to target ads. Here's how to opt out of the "feature."

T-Mobile introduced a new privacy policy that allows it to share user data with ad partners
T-Mobile introduced a new privacy policy that allows it to share user data with ad partners


The new privacy policy, which takes effect on April 26, reportedly gives T-Mobile permission to sell your online activity from their mobile networks to ad partners on the network. This can include data from mobile apps or web browsers.

The policy changes require users to explicitly opt-out of the program if they don't want T-Mobile to track them. For anyone who doesn't opt-out, T-Mobile will share their online data with advertisers.

The ad-data-sharing program will also include former Sprint customers who are now part of T-Mobile. Sprint previously had a similar ad-sharing program that required users to opt into it.

T-Mobile and Sprint completed their $26 billion merger in April 2020. At that point, former T-Mobile CEO John Legere stepped down. Michael Sievert replaced him and is President and CEO of T-Mobile today.

T-Mobile says it will mask users' identities, but privacy groups note how easy it is to link masked IDs to the people behind them.

"It's hard to say with a straight face, 'We're not going to share your name with it,'" Aaron Mackey, a lawyer for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the Wall Street Journal. "This type of data is very personal and revealing, and it's trivial to link that de-identified info back to you."

A T-Mobile spokeswoman said, "We've heard many say they prefer more relevant ads, so we're defaulting to this setting."

The menu screen to opt out of T-Mobile's ad-sharing
The menu screen to opt out of T-Mobile's ad-sharing

How to opt out of T-Mobile's ad-sharing data collection and sale

  1. Open the T-Mobile app

  2. Navigate to the More tab

  3. Choose Advertising & Analytics

  4. Tap "Use my data to make ads more relevant to me"

  5. Toggle off both settings

  6. Repeat this for each line on your plan
Apple has long championed the iPhone as the best choice for privacy. On January 28, Apple released a report about how advertisers can exploit a user's information -- and how Apple works to stop it.

By sharing data extracted from cellular traffic rather than on the device, T-Mobile plans to infringe on user privacy in that "last mile" of content delivery from the carrier to the iPhone user that Apple has little direct control over.
doozydozenapplesnorangescornchip

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 15
    gatorguygatorguy Posts: 24,213member
    Thanks for the heads-up. Opted out. 
    doozydozenapplesnorangesheinzeldysamoria
  • Reply 2 of 15
    planetary paulplanetary paul Posts: 144member
    Is that legal in the EU?

    Can't find any of these settings in my T-mobile app here in NL in the EU. I'll have to keep an eye on this.
    edited March 2021 doozydozenwatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 15
    shaminoshamino Posts: 527member
    Unfortunately, my T-mobile phone is owned by my employer and I don't have the login credentials necessary to opt-out.  Hopefully the IT department will do it on my behalf.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 4 of 15
    doozydozendoozydozen Posts: 539member
    Brutal infringement on privacy
    applesnorangescornchipdysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 15
    tmaytmay Posts: 6,329member
    I'm still on Sprint, which hasn't been fully integrated into T-Mobile. Took a bit to figure out where to opt out, but opt out I have.

    Funny how these companies make it so difficult for their customer...
    dysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 15
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,063member
    Doesn’t work app stalls.
  • Reply 7 of 15
    TomPMRITomPMRI Posts: 44member
    I am a prepay customer, and the “more” tab is grayed out. Is T-Mobile not allowing prepay customers to opt out?

    Update...the T-Mobile site is down. Maybe they are being overwhelmed by requests to opt out.
    edited March 2021 cornchipdysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 15
    nwind2000nwind2000 Posts: 4member
    Thank you for letting us know!
    Totally inappropriate. 
    cornchipdysamoriawatto_cobradoozydozen
  • Reply 9 of 15
    aknabiaknabi Posts: 211member
    Eventually the pin-head MBA douchebag/baguette gets their way in the management meeting when it comes to the agenda item "how we gonna juice up revenue numbers in the short-term?"... by the time that decision bites said MBA has moved on with their bonus to go screw up and milk some other firm that's being bozo-fied.
    beowulfschmidtcornchipdysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 15
    personperson Posts: 31member
    You should see how difficult they make it to opt out. You have to send them a picture of your drivers license, plus another picture of your self just because, plus other forms of “verification that’s it’s really you”. It’s not just a setting you can change by simply logging into your account (which by the way should already be enough verification). They have really turned to the dark side. 
    muthuk_vanalingamFileMakerFellerdysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 11 of 15
    TomPMRITomPMRI Posts: 44member
    An update on T-Mobile prepay accounts.  I just spoke with a T-Mobile representative, asking why I could not access the "More" tab on my iPhone (it's greyed out and doesn't function) to opt-out of their new data harvesting program. After being on hold a few minutes, I was told that prepay customers not allowed to opt-out of this insidious privacy policy.

    This makes no sense...I wonder if this policy also applies to third party telecom customers (like Mint or Straight Talk that use T-Mobile)?  AppleInsider...please check with your sources!

    teaearlegreyhotdysamoriawatto_cobra
  • Reply 12 of 15
    cornchipcornchip Posts: 1,950member
    AppleInsider said:
    1. Open the T-Mobile app
    2. Navigate to the More tab
    3. Choose Advertising & Analytics
    4. Tap "Use my data to make ads more relevant to me"
    5. Toggle off both settings
    6. Repeat this for each line on your plan


    Done.

    watto_cobradoozydozen
  • Reply 13 of 15
    FileMakerFellerFileMakerFeller Posts: 1,546member
    "We've heard many [of our advertising customers] say they prefer more relevant ads, so we're defaulting to this setting."

    FTFY, T-mobile rep!
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 14 of 15
    teaearlegreyhotteaearlegreyhot Posts: 1,002member
    TomPMRI said:
    An update on T-Mobile prepay accounts.  I just spoke with a T-Mobile representative, asking why I could not access the "More" tab on my iPhone (it's greyed out and doesn't function) to opt-out of their new data harvesting program. After being on hold a few minutes, I was told that prepay customers not allowed to opt-out of this insidious privacy policy.

    This makes no sense...I wonder if this policy also applies to third party telecom customers (like Mint or Straight Talk that use T-Mobile)?  AppleInsider...please check with your sources!

    Yeah, I’m a MintMobile customer, and they buy band from Tmob.  Will they now be invading my privacy with no opt-out option?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 15 of 15
    dysamoriadysamoria Posts: 3,430member
    This shit never ends, and people keep defending laissez-faire capitalism.
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