Privacy on the Web

The wireless Internet and location-based services will give subscribers greater mobile access to information, but these services create questions about the information shared across networks. Industry groups such as CTIA address subscribers' rights as well as privacy legislation. However, subscribers turn to carriers for answers to questions about information protection.

Sprint PCS

Total Hold Time: 2 minutes

Transfer/IVR Layers: 3

CSR: How may I assist you today?

WR: If I go to the Wireless Web and use the Go2 services, will my activities be tracked?

CSR: Yeah. If you go there, what it allows you to do is type in a page, basically.

WR: You have functions on there that are Go2 shopping and Go2 driving directions. Apparently, they can get my location and give me directions. I'm wondering if my activities are tracked while I'm using the service?

CSR: I cannot guarantee anything. It's supposed to be a secured Web site. I cannot tell whether there's a hacker who's going to hack into it and find out what you're doing.

WR: So somebody could actually get my whereabouts and track me down?

CSR: There are hackers worldwide. I don't know when they're working or what time they're going to track you down.

WR: Have you had that happen to any of your customers?

CSR: No, I've never heard that before.

WR: I also was wondering if Sprint keeps track of my information?

CSR: What kind of information?

WR: My subscriber information or locations I visit on the Web site.

CSR: I wouldn't know. Nobody would know except you.

WR: How does Sprint protect my personal information that I give while I'm on the Wireless Web?

CSR: Sprint is just offering the service of the Wireless Web. If you go to Yahoo, it's a Yahoo business. Whatever you do there, if it's transmitted and somebody's able to hack in, that's Yahoo's business. If you get into the Sprint PCS Web page and have a problem, then we'll handle that. But if you go to Yahoo or Hotmail or something, and somebody tracks you down, that's not a Sprint PCS problem. We cannot guarantee anything by saying that we're going to protect your personal information. It's supposed to be a secure thing. That's why when you're launching your mini-browser, it says securities enabling.

WR: Sprint doesn't guarantee that my information is safe while I'm browsing?

CSR: When you're on a computer in a library and go to Hotmail, are you guaranteed by whoever the ISP is that you're not going to be tracked down in Hotmail?

CSR: Well, they say it's secure.

WR: Exactly. That's what we all say. We all say secure, and when you launch it, it says securities enabling.

Verizon Wireless

Total Hold Time: 15 seconds

Transfer/IVR Layers: 3

CSR: Thank you for calling Verizon Wireless. How can I help you?

WR: How does Verizon protect my personal information, my credit-card information, while I'm on the Mobile Web?

CSR: We don't do that. You set up an account through the Mobile Web with somebody that you're purchasing from. We don't take any kind of credit-card information here. Do you mean like when you buy something?

WR: Yes.

CSR: I have it on my phone, and I have an account set up with Amazon.com. It's just like going on the Web on your computer system. You just set up an account with that company. Then you put your credit-card number in with them, but we don't have any kind of record of it. You're setting up an account with the company that you're purchasing from, not with us. We're just allowing you to access that Web site from your phone instead of accessing it from a regular computer.

WR: Does Verizon keep track of my activities while I'm on the wireless Web?

CSR: No. We don't keep track of where you go or what you do. We just know when you're on it. On your bill, if you have detailed billing, instead of listing a phone number you're calling or an incoming call, it's just going to say data.

Mystery Caller randomly calls carriers to determine how subscribers' questions are answered. For more information about location-based privacy issues, check out the following Web pages:
www.wliaonline.org
www.wow-com.com/pdf/ctia112200.pdf
www.cdt.org/privacy/issues/location/010406fcc.shtml