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Related Releases & Reports
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NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
January 28, 2002
For More Information Contact:
David Ponder, 243-2908
Consumer Group Applauds Qwest
Decision
(Missoula) The Montana Public Interest Research Group (MontPIRG)
today praised Qwest Communications’ announcement to temporarily cease
sharing private customer account information and called on the company
to permanently reject the sale of detailed calling records of their customers
without a customer’s specific consent. The group urged the Public
Service Commission and the Attorney General to actively pursue the issue
in order to protect Montanans’ constitutional right to privacy.
“The practice of selling detailed customer calling records without
specific consent from the customer is unfair and jeopardizes the privacy
of consumers,” said David Ponder, MontPIRG Executive Director.
In December, Qwest Communications notified customers that they would
begin selling account information. Buried in the fine print, customers
were told they had thirty days to “opt-out” of the process by calling
a toll free number or visiting the company’s web site.
MontPIRG encourages all companies considering sharing or selling
customer information to adopt an “opt-in” standard. With an “opt-in”
standard a customer must give explicit consent to have their private
information shared, traded, or sold. Montana's privacy laws already
require the "opt-in" standard for both nonpublic personal financial information
and nonpublic personal health information.
“Qwest should recognize their customers’ right to privacy and to
vigorously advocate for explicit customer consent before having their
private information shared, traded, or sold,” concluded Ponder.
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MontPIRG is a statewide non-profit, non-partisan public interest
advocacy group with more than 5,000 members throughout Montana.
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Consumer Protection