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Verizon to let people opt out of 'supercookie' data collection

Democratic Senate members recently sent a letter to Verizon's CEO criticizing the company's privacy practices.

By Thor Benson
A Verizon Wireless logo is seen on a building in Washington on September 1, 2011. Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI.
A Verizon Wireless logo is seen on a building in Washington on September 1, 2011. Photo by Roger L. Wollenberg/UPI. | License Photo

NEW YORK, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Verizon will soon let customers completely opt out of having their mobile Web traffic tracked for advertising purposes through "supercookies."

A Unique Identifier Header (UIDH), also known by tech experts as a "supercookie," is a tracker that stores a customer's Web browsing data. They're used to collect data that can be used for tailoring advertising to what people are viewing and searching.

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Verizon had previously allowed customers to opt out of having their browsing tracked for tailored ads, but the company was still using the unique identifiers to track overall trends.

But the UIDH could be exploited to turn trackers back on without users' knowledge, even if they had opted out of ad tracking -- known as a "zombie cookie."

AT&T dropped supercookies in November, and privacy advocates criticized Verizon for not doing the same.

Verizon's announcement came the day after Democratic members of the Senate's Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation sent a letter to Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam saying the company had insufficient privacy protections.

"We listen to our customers and provide them the ability to opt out of our advertising programs," Verizon spokeswoman Debi Lewis said in a statement to multiple outlets Friday. "We have begun working to expand the opt-out to include the identifier referred to as the UIDH, and expect that to be available soon."

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