Just checked my T-Mobile privacy settings. I had most everything turned off, but then I saw a few were turned on (such as my opt-out marketing settings). Opting out of everything took 2 tries to have them all disabled (sludge).

This one was seemingly a new one, and makes the hairs on my neck go up:

Make your choice about profiling and automated decisions.

You can tell us not to use your personal data for certain kinds of "profiling" that we might do in the future. This toggle allows you to opt out of having profiling used for future decisions that produce legal or similarly significant effects about you. We don't use profiling to make these kinds of decisions now. Turning this "OFF" or gray means "opt out of profiling and automated decisions."

For some reason I cannot turn off the "Alert the Gestapo if I remain too close to an abortion clinic for too long option" on my account, says not available for Texas accounts.

You're going to have to wait until Texas voters collectively grow the ability to reason and a backbone before you can toggle that option off (yes, I know it's not all of them but the fact that Abbot and company aren't metaphorically tarred and feathered then run out of town on a rail for even suggesting redistricting right now is telling)

What option was this? I wasn’t aware Texas had regulations like that

The comment is a joke, but Texas absolutely has dystopian laws about abortion, making it illegal to go to another state for one.

I figured the name was a joke but I am aware of how draconian their laws were so it wasn’t outside the realm of possibility that they had companies reporting location data for abortion clinics. I was just surprised if that was occurring and transparent enough to be an opt out setting on your account

Mark the accounts as kids account, they will not collect data till the birthday on the account turns 18. Pick any recent month and 2025 and you get 17+yrs of minimal data collection. They won't turn it on for new data sharing options.

Will this limit your phone features in any way or ability to pay for stuff?

Honestly, it's border line impossible for common mortals, I can't opt out from certain marketing initiatives because I don't have the marketing ID? (with no indication on how to retrieve it) I live in Washington, USA.

Any idea how this works for MVNOs?

I am also wondering this since I have a LTE-enabled camera with prepaid data on the Mint MVNO (four capital letters 𝅘𝅥𝅮) running on T-Mobile's network. My Mint account settings has no privacy controls at all, and their privacy policy only mentions “location” in terms of GeoIP while browsing their website and in terms of E911 access if you dial emergency services: https://www.mintmobile.com/privacy-policy/

I found this “Ultra Mobile and Mint Mobile – Policies regarding Geolocation Data” <https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-386591A1.pdf> that mentions third-party sharing, but it's a little dated (2022):

“Describe the arrangements, agreements, and circumstances in which Ultra Mobile and Mint Mobile share subscriber geolocation data with third parties that are not law enforcement.

None. The enhanced 911 process provides subscriber geolocation from the cell phone in the event of a 911 call, but it is not controlled by Ultra or Mint Mobile. Neither Ultra nor Mint Mobile provide geolocation data to any third parties.”

What this doesn't answer, however, is what T-Mobile are doing with Mint customers' location data. I have to assume they're selling everything they can and that's why the MVNO is so cheap compared to the main brand lol

Main brand is even cheaper when you have a business account. It's only people with few lines that get railed on postpaid wireless.

i pay $15 for mint, lets see the tmobile commercial plan pricing?

Big commercial is ~$23/mo for pooled data and a 13-month subsidy. At one point we were running it like a revenue center and getting $250-350 for used iPhones. They balked because we have our shit together and dump phones quickly (most large customers don't), so we moved away from that for other concessions.

i fail to see how this is cheaper in any imaginable way, thank you

You pay $0.99 and $277 in plan fees for a iPhone <current> or <current-1>, and sell it for $250-350 used.

At the scale I'm talking about, that's well into the seven figures.

i do not pay any plan fees for an iphone. what on earth

digression: I use Google Fi as my carrier but it's an MVNOs that's largely on T-Mobile. I don't believe Google Fi is selling my location data (they already know it via other ways), but since it runs on the T-Mobile network, they might still be able to? But since I lack a T-Mobile account there's no way to opt out.

Anyway know the story on location selling + Google Fi? Or with MVNOs in general.

"Google Fi users are not subject to T-Mobile's collection and sale of app data." From the first expandable question on https://support.google.com/fi/answer/6181037?hl=en#zippy=%2C....

While Google Fi users don't seem to be subject to T-Mobile's data collection, you might still want to go into Google Fi's "Privacy & security" section and opt out of "Allow CPNI sharing".

Why do we believe these settings make any difference whatsoever?

Wow, yep, thanks for that.

I was certain I had disabled all of these through the normal t-mobile dashboard, but sure enough there were about 5 still enabled including the “sell my personal information” ones. Ouch.

They probably just add new ones with updates to keep ahead of you.

Is Verizon Identity Verification necessary at all? It says it helps 3rd parties prevent identity theft but I’m curious how true / necessary that is?