Steer Clear of AT&T CrossMedia

Submitted by Hewie Poplock on Thu, 2011-08-11 08:09

I just received an invitation to join the AT&T Crosswire Experience. They offered me a $15 incentive card and will add $10 every quarter that I remain an active panel member ($45 for the year). According to the letter, I would have to periodically complete a survey. That sounded like something I would like to do.

I went to the website and typed in my offer code. It gave information about a third party that would be collecting the data, VoiceFive, which is part of comScore. Then I looked at their list of what they would monitor. WOW! It is definitely something that I do not want to share. I think that I will pass on the offer. Take a look at their list:

The Cross-Media Experience software from comScore is powered by VoiceFive, a subsidiary of comScore, and will collect the following types of data:

  • Internet behavior, such as the web pages you visit and the actions you take online. The data we collect may include transactions or information exchanged between you and third-parties in secure sessions, including for example the items you place into online shopping baskets and information you provide when filling out online forms or accounts. The information may also include personal financial or health information if you provide that information to others while online.
  • PLEASE NOTE: The Cross-Media Experience Software is designed to automatically filter personal information, such as User IDs or passwords, so that information is not collected by the software. VoiceFive also undertakes to purge its databases of such information, to the extent it is not captured by our software filter. And, in the unlikely event that any personal information remains in the VoiceFive database after it has been purged, that information is maintained in a secure environment as described below and is not shared with any third parties
  • General hardware, software, computer configuration and application usage information about the computer on which you install the Cross-Media Experience Software, including such data as the speed of the computer processor, its memory capacities and Internet connection speed;
  • Information relating to devices connected to your computer and your network, such as the type of printer or router you may be using;
  • Information regarding the cookies that exist on your computer; and
  • Select e-mail header information from web based emails.

VoiceFive will collect the following information from AT&T about your TV and mobile usage:

AT&T TV Data, which includes information collected by AT&T from U-verse set top boxes installed in your home, such as data indicating:

  • When the TV and set-top box are turned on and off.
  • Channels and programs you watch and record;
  • The way you watch programming (pause, rewind, etc.);
  • On-demand programming you order; and
  • Interactive TV applications you use.

AT&T Mobile Data, which includes information collected by AT&T about the use of your mobile phone, such as:

  • The type and configuration of mobile phone you use;
  • The websites you visit including date and time.

It sounds like they would add some software that will track all of this on my computer, as well as monitor my phone & TV viewing. I use AT&T U-Verse for TV and have an iPhone through AT&T. I suspect that the software would drive my security software nuts, as well as slowing down my system. AT&T, thanks, but NO THANKS! 

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