T-Mobile is now selling app usage data to advertisers | Hacker News Reader

T-Mobile is now selling app usage data to advertisers

9to5mac.com

38 pointsBrajeshwar16 comments

You don't need the app, and this is also applicable to previous sprint users as well as metro users.

https://www.t-mobile.com/privacy-center/education-and-resour...

EDIT: I would like to an EXTRA middle finger to T-Mobile for turning on this opt-in by default for phones which are configured for a minor child. It is one thing to do this to 18+, but seriously on android phones that are configured for a minor? Read the room.

How is this any worse for a minor?

https://www.ftc.gov/legal-library/browse/rules/childrens-onl...

> Android users can download T-Mobile’s “Magenta Marketing Platform Choices” app from the Play Store to opt out of the new App Insights program.

Disgusting

And if they do, they will never get past the throbber.

Is there some legal requirement forcing them to offer an opt-out? And if so, how ridiculous and insecure can they make the opt-out? Anyone privacy conscious wouldn't install an app from someone as openly hostile as T-Mobile. What if one doesn't have the Play Store?

This is like a keyboard selling your typing data, and if you want to opt-out, you have to install a plugin for Google Docs...

This is what Google Analytics does, except with an app instead of an addon (that does not work).

I don’t understand, so do they just collect which domains you visit and sell that data? How could they possibly find that information if I purely use a wifi network instead of my phone internet?

My guess is that they have a preinstalled carrier app that does the spying for them. That would explain why it's not available on ios (because of app permission restrictions) and how it's able to collect "the Wi-Fi networks they join".

What if you BYOD though? Say a Pixel...straight up Android. I'd assume they just track your data traffic at that point? Either way, it sucks.

SIM cards have their own cpu, memory, and OS running on them. So theoretically they can still track your device.

>SIM cards have their own cpu, memory, and OS running on them

That might be the case, but they still rely on the phone to feed it information. I doubt the sim card interface provides a way to send the currently connected wifi network or what apps are installed.

No but they can correlate things to a ridiculous amount of resolution. Sure, millions of people hit the Reddit API every day but I can guarantee no other person on earth hits it at exactly the same time as you do, repeatedly.

Interesting, My phone was purchased from Google without a carrier then brought on as a bring your own device to T-Mobile. There is no pre-installed app or os by T-Mobile. I downloaded the T-Mobile app which does not require any permissions. However, there was quite a bit of data according to magenta ad platform. I find that disturbing...

SIM cards have their own apps and cpu running on them, powered by the phone.

The ID in the magenta app uses Google advertising ID which is built into the OS. This can be seen by resetting or deleting the advertising ID through Android.

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