Protecting Your Privacy
If Protecting Your Privacy is Important…
In December and early January, Qwest sent you a bill insert that contained important information about your privacy, but it was very confusing. Most consumers threw these notices out. Although Qwest has delayed the implementation of this policy, here is what you need to know. Qwest had originally planned to share your personal account information with related companies (Qwest Wireless, Qwest Long-distance, etc.), and possibly other companies unless you called Qwest to tell them not to share your account information.
Customer account information includes the phone numbers you call, the phone numbers of those who call you, the length of your calls, the telephone products and services you have, how many lines you have, information about wireless services and the wireless calls you make. Some of this information is very sensitive and is referred to in the industry as customer proprietary network information.
The OCC objected to Qwest requiring its customers to call to
stop them from disclosing your private information (called the
"opt-out" approach) and instead recommended that telephone
companies be required to get your permission before they disclosed
your personal account information (the "opt-in" approach).
Because of objections raised by the OCC and thousands of customers,
Qwest has delayed the implementation of this plan. Qwest will
now wait until the Federal Communications Commission makes a final
decision about how and when a company can share this information.
Until that time, Qwest will not share your private account information.
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