By Mike Benbow
Herald Writer
Snohomish County’s phone company is keeping customer information private for now while state officials deal with a firestorm of complaints over another company’s handling of the privacy issue.
Verizon, which is sending opt-out notices to customers around the country this week, will delay letters to about a million customers in Washington state, said spokeswoman Melissa Barran of the company’s Northwest headquarters in Everett.
"There is a lot of angst out there in the public that has to do with the use of this information," she said. "We’ll be monitoring the situation for the next few weeks, then we will decide when to send out our notice."
The notices, which will be included with customer bills, essentially announce that the company plans to make internal business use of information such as calling patterns and services. Those who don’t like the idea will be told how to opt out by calling a toll-free number.
Verizon is the state’s second-largest phone company and serves 950,000 customers in Washington, including those in Snohomish County and Camano Island.
The largest company, Qwest, evoked outrage recently with its opt-out letter. Qwest, which serves Seattle, Bellevue, Issaquah, Kent, Auburn, Vancouver, Tacoma and Olympia, included it inside a pamphlet titled "The following information does not impact your Qwest billing."
Some customers accused Qwest of encouraging people to throw the pamphlets away without looking at them. Many complained to the state Utilities and Transportation Commission and the Attorney General’s Office, which have both urged Qwest to redesign and redistribute the notice.
The commission has scheduled two public hearings on the opt-out issue for next week. In its announcement of the hearings, the commission noted that by failing to opt out, customers tacitly approve the sharing or use of personal calling information with outside firms or the phone company’s marketing partners.
That information includes billing records, the number and type of services purchased, who customers call, who calls them and how long they talk, according to the commission.
Under Federal Communications Commission rules, customers previously had to authorize phone company use of the information. But Qwest took the agency to court and won, arguing that approach violated the company’s rights to free speech.
Barran said Verizon has no intention of sharing the information with outside firms but would like to share it with other business units of the company, such as its wireless and Internet units.
"It’s only being shared under the Verizon umbrella," she said. "If customers do not want us to share that information between business units, than they have a right to opt out."
Barran said Verizon’s intent is to use the information to tailor products to a customer’s needs. She likened it to buying something from your favorite catalog.
"I buy a lot from L.L. Bean," she said. "It’s pretty clear to me that L.L. Bean knows what I buy because I don’t get catalogs with men’s clothing, I get catalogs with women’s clothing.
"We’re simply taking customer information so that information can be used to the advantage of the customer based on their buying habits and what they might want in the future."
You can call Herald Writer Mike Benbow at 425-339-3459 or send e-mail to benbow@heraldnet.com.
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