In late October, researchers discovered that AT&T and Verizon had been engaging in some unsavory customer tracking methods, using unique identifying numbers or “perma-cookies” to track the websites that customers visited on their cellular devices to deliver target advertisements. See my earlier article at http://goo.gl/hK6qcv for details.
Following significant negative attention from the media, AT&T has now told the Associated Press that it is no longer injecting the hidden web tracking codes into the data sent from its customers’ devices.
The Associated press story says:
The change by AT&T essentially removes a hidden string of letters and numbers that are passed along to websites that a consumer visits. It can be used to track subscribers across the Internet, a lucrative data-mining opportunity for advertisers that could still reveal users’ identities based on their browsing habits.
You can read more in the AP story at http://goo.gl/uvcBQs.
Verizon Wireless said Friday it still uses this type of tracking, known as “super cookies.”
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Categories: Online Privacy & Security
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