Verizon Wireless has come up with a new way to make more money and potentially annoy you at the same time. Big Red announced it is launching a new marketing initiative called ‘Verizon Selects’ that will send customers advertisements based on what activities they do on its network. This sounds like bloatware through the airwaves.The way this will work is the new program uses location data, as well as both browser and app usage, to help target users with coupons or promotions tailored to their particular interests.
So just think of targeted ads hitting your device or doorstop by way of email, text message, standard mail, online and mobile advertisements. Yikes. For those with security concerns, the largest wireless provider was sure to point out that it “doesn’t share personal information with outside parties.”
Interestingly, Verizon’s new ‘Select’ program will be opt-in only. Big Red will begin contacting customers to take part in the program starting this week. Just imagine if you had no choice to opt-in or out? It would have been a PR disaster. And for that reason, we’re glad the company didn’t take it upon themselves to just force this on their customers, as it sure would have pissed off the FCC.
Speaking of the FCC, Verizon Wireless recently lost an appeal that sought to overturn the FCC’s 2011 roaming agreement rule. This FCC mandate requires mobile carriers to offer roaming agreements to its competitors at commercially reasonable rates. Verizon objected to this rule and unsuccessfully argued that the Federal Communications Commission did not have the authority to enforce this rule.
[Verizon Wireless; via The Verge]