AT&T Says It Will Match Google Fiber's Speed & Pricing, But Only If You Allow AT&T To Spy On You
from the how-very-AT&T-of-you dept
To counter the PR hit from Google Fiber, AT&T has recently been proclaiming that it too is now offering 1 Gbps services under the company's "Gigapower" brand -- but pretending that Google has nothing to do with it. On the surface, it looks like AT&T is taking on Google blow for blow, and that this is a wonderful example of how competition works. And while that's true up to a point, as we've discussed previously, AT&T's offering is highly theatrical in nature. AT&T's actually been slashing its fixed-line CAPEX each quarter, but is offering 1 Gbps speeds to a few, scattered high-end developments where fiber is already in the ground.AT&T is then dressing this deployment up as something much larger than it actually is -- something I affectionately refer to as "fiber to the press release." Fiber to the press release not only lets a company pretend to be cutting-edge while skimping on actual infrastructure upgrades, AT&T uses these barely-existent fiber deployments as a sort of carrot on a stick for regulators, threatening to pull back on these already-skimpy investments if, say, regulators try to pass net neutrality rules or don't approve its DirecTV merger plans.
But in the locations AT&T is deploying 1 Gbps services, it's actually engaged in something that -- in typical AT&T fashion -- sets an even worse precedent. On the heels of scattered Gigapower deployments in Austin, AT&T this week announced it's also offering symmetrical 1 Gbps speeds in portions of Kansas City. After the press release gets done insisting that AT&T "moved quickly to bring more competition to the Kansas City area" with a 1 Gbps offering for $70 a month, quadruple asterisked fine print explains that to actually get this $70 price point, you have to agree to opt-in to AT&T's "Gigapower Internet Preferences" program:
"U-verse High Speed Internet 1Gbps: Internet speeds up to 1Gbps for $70 per month****, includes waiver of equipment, installation and activation fees, and a three year price guarantee...**** U-verse with AT&T GigaPower Premier offer is available with agreement from customer to participate in AT&T Internet Preferences. AT&T may use Web browsing information, like the search terms entered and the Web pages visited, to provide customers with relevant offers and ads tailored to their interests."Assuming the company's Kansas City pricing mirrors its Austin pricing, if you choose to opt-out of this particular brand of snoopvertising, you'll need to pay $100 a month. That's right: even when faced with real price competition, AT&T can't help but be AT&T -- and try to charge users a $30 premium just to opt-out of a behavioral ad program. AT&T's Internet Preferences FAQ can't be bothered to detail the technology used, though it's most likely deep packet inspection (you know, the kind of technology small companies like NebuAD and Phorm were absolutely destroyed for using).
AT&T's pretty clearly not very familiar with how this whole price competition thing works, and needless to say, most sensible Kansas City and Austin users will be taking their broadband business to Google if they want to avoid AT&T being AT&T. Not that we'll get to see this on AT&T earnings numbers; since the entire project is a bit of a show pony to begin with, the company doesn't disclose how many Gigapower customers it serves. AT&T just wants you to believe it's on the cutting edge -- even if that cutting edge predominantly involves make believe -- and forcing consumers to pay a premium for privacy.
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Filed Under: deep packet inspection, fiber, gigapower, google fiber, internet preferences, kansas city, pricing, snoopvertising, spying
Companies: at&t, google
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Now, you're just an asshole.
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Google's an advertising company. Is it not obvious they're keeping track of your comings and goings to better target ads?
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Of course it's obvious. And I don't see how you aren't sure that it's any worse. It's also different in the manner of data gathering, ad targeting, and injection. And it occurs at your front door, not theirs.
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Google won't watch your porn surfing habits (Google analytics and adsense are banned on porn sites), but AT&T will.
I can (and do) block Google Analytics, can't block AT&T packet sniffing.
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https://fiber.google.com/legal/network.html
As for Google's automated scanning of email content to serve up ads, you can opt out of ads, choose not to use Gmail, block ads, or use anti-tracking plugins.
You can opt out keeping a search history on a Google account and you can opt out of providing location information. Sure, there's going to be some information that they will collect, but it's nowhere near as nefarious as DPI and you have choices.
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Considering that Google is specifically saying that they aren't doing this sort of tracking with Google Fiber, that's not obvious at all.
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Was that just a bunch of bullshit?
Yeah...we knew all along it was a bunch of bullshit.
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A solution suggests itself
2. Set up VPN for all "real" traffic.
3. On a spare system that's connected 24x7 and not connected through the VPN, run a Perl script that issues intermittent search queries comprised of terms found on 4chan forums, Twilight fanfic sites, YouPorn, and whatever site is the main one for Bronies. Oh, and Frank Zappa lyrics.
4. Smile while contemplating how confused the marketroids staring at the data analytics are going to be.
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They lost me at 'U-verse'
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I dropped DirecTV the day they announced the merger. I've been happy with Dish, but the day my elderly father leaves my house I will be a cord cutter overnight.
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They are! Get too close, and you'll end up bleeding!
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Standard deceptive marketing
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It's a big country. There are lots of profitable regions that need better service and would pay for it. The only investment is blocking a potential competitor, not increasing the customer base by investing in un-served and under-served regions.
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In other words. They collect $30 a month, but we have no way to know that they haven't just tracked us anyhow. You can't sue them because they force no-suite clauses in their contract. And you can't prove that they failed unless some AT&T whistleblower gives them up.
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NO NO, These corporations think they can sleaze out all the advertising to everyone knowing its garbage and pollution in our faces in our ears and eyes. They should be begging to pay us to tolerate certain levels of it instead of their fucked up thinking they can trash our serenity over and over and over daily. And then only the advertising we agree to. NO MORE
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Like that TOS
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Doesn't mean they don't exist, of course.
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That's not on
I think if we had a voting system in place so EVERY single law the government passes, is no longer up to them.
The people get to vote on everything and vote it in or out.
The world would be a better place
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