

Verizon, AT&T, Others Make Big Bucks Sharing Customer Data - mtgx
http://www.pcworld.com/article/259628/verizon_atandt_others_make_big_bucks_sharing_customer_data.html

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pcurve
Considering how much AT&T makes, $8.2million is drop in a bucket. With
potential backlash from privacy groups and customers, I'm sure the carrier
would be happy to forgo that particular source of revenue if they weren't
legally compelled to do so.

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vjeux
In 2011, AT&T made 22 billion in revenue for wireless data. 8.2 million is
0.03% (if I didn't make a mistake). I wouldn't call that big bucks.

[http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/annual_report/pdfs/att_ar...](http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/annual_report/pdfs/att_ar_2011_highlights.pdf)

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draz
Last year I went to a conference and met an American Express guy. To make a
long story short, he was telling me Amex (and other credit card companies)
also sells information to 3rd parties. For example, you like Italian food
(they can tell by multiple purchases in Italian restaurants) and fly on
Airline X? The airline might be interested in that data, so it could change
its food offering on the plane. This is just ONE example.... So, I'm not
surprised.

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technoslut
What should be a relief to all is that this isn't permanent. There will come a
point where wifi will defeat cellular in terms of technology. This is what
Apple, Google and MS are all waiting for and why none of them have bought a
telco. The future is based off of unlocked phones with dirt cheap data plans.
Technically the iPod touch will become a phone at that time because the tech
will become so cheap.

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Zev
What makes you think it won't be the other way around -- say, a "5G" network
that's an order of magnitude faster than LTE, and available anywhere.

And at that point, what if people then stop buying wired Internet lines and
wireless routers (because they all get the same bits, anyway), and instead use
the cell network that already surrounds them.

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draggnar
But at what point is the significant increase in speed returning only a
marginal increase in customer satisfaction? If the experience is the same in
terms of usable speed, then it will come down to what is cheaper and easier
(which will probably be whichever is more open).

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voyou
Well, it's like they say: if you're not paying, you're not the customer,
you're the product.

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techsupporter
I pay them $194.24/mo for five lines with data and texting add-ons. Isn't that
sufficient to be the customer instead of the product?

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jsz0
The greed at the top is too hungry for it to ever be enough. Whatever sum of
money you pay them if they can make an extra $X on top of it selling you out
they will.

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stanleydrew
So you're pretty much always the customer and the product.

