Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Router Tips to Make Your Wireless Faster

I highly recommend this article. I believe most home routers have been installed "just to get the darn thing working" without much thought to the items reviewed in this article. Check it out and maybe try one or two or more. This is from pcworld.com.

Router Tips to Make Your Wireless Faster

Monday, October 17, 2011

Verizon Tracks the Websites You Visit and Sells Your Data

I take this article from techlicious.com at face value and have not checked out Verizon's Privacy Policy on my own. If there's any good news here it's at the end of the article where it says "Fortunately, you can opt-out of this data collection by visiting www.vzw.com/myprivacy or calling 1-866-211-0874".

 "I've gotten used to the the boots I've looked on Zappos following me around as I browse the web, but Verizon Wireless has taken this tracking to a new level with its updated privacy policy.

Under the new policy, Verizon will be tracking the websites you visit, the apps you use and the location of your phone, and then using this information to provide targeted mobile advertising. Verizon will also be sharing this information with third parties, though they claim it will be on an aggregated basis that won't reveal personally identifiable information.

According to Verizon, the specific information collected includes:
  • Addresses of websites you visit (which may include search terms you used)
  • Location of your device
  • App and device feature usage
  • Information about your use of Verizon products and services (such as data and calling features, device type, and amount
    of use)
  • Demographic and interest categories provided to us by other companies, such as gender, age range, sports fan, frequent diner, or pet owner ("Demographics")
Fortunately, you can opt-out of this data collection by visiting www.vzw.com/myprivacy or calling 1-866-211-0874. If you have a Family SharePlan or multi-line account, you must indicate your choice for each line."