To whom it most likely does not concern at AT&T:
I am a current AT&T wireless customer, a future Mac user, and I will not be buying an iPhone. I'm living a very happy life without one right now, and I will be living a very happy life without one a year from now. This, from a self-admitted gadget nut who has spent his fair share of time ogling the web site. I want one of them bastards real bad like.
But I have serious issues with your recent history with my privacy, and the iPhone exposes me to your intrusion into my life through several different media formats. And now you've gone and changed the rules, just in time for the iPhone rollout:
The new policy says that AT&T -- not customers -- owns customers' confidential info and can use it "to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process."
The policy also indicates that AT&T will track the viewing habits of customers of its new video service -- something that cable and satellite providers are prohibited from doing.
David Lazarus of the San Francisco Chronicle caught this last week. I'm as shocked as usual that no connection has been made in the mainstream between AT&T's exclusive iPhone debut, and this, what is being dubbed as a "clarification" of the previous policy.
In a section on "usage information," the privacy policy says AT&T will collect "information about viewing, game, recording and other navigation choices that you and those in your household make when using Homezone or AT&T U-verse TV Services."
The Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 stipulates that cable and satellite companies can't collect or disclose information about customers' viewing habits.
The law is silent on video services offered by phone companies via the Internet, basically because legislators never anticipated such technology would be available.
And in so collecting that information, AT&T has demonstrated that it is entirely willing to hand over all of that information to the NSA, FBI, Experian, or Delbert down on Nosy Street. I know there's no way to temper the enthusiasm for this gadget, I just hope iPhone users are aware that only the phone belongs to them. Their Mapquested dinner plans are up for grabs.