Privacy advocates slam AT&T on records

Privacy advocates slammed AT&T Inc. Thursday for declaring that it owned its Internet and video customers’ account information and could hand the data over to law enforcement if needed.

AT&T Wednesday updated its privacy policy, which came as the company and other phone operators faced lawsuits claiming they aided a U.S. government domestic spying program by inappropriately handing over millions of call records.

“My understanding is that they will be monitoring television viewing habits, and that it’s a condition of service that customers can’t opt out of,” said Paul Stephens, policy analyst at Privacy Rights Clearinghouse. “It’s frightening,” he said.

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In the policy update, which applied to AT&T’s more than 7 million Internet and video customers, the company said it could collect usage information from subscribers, including the Web pages they view, the programs they record, and the games they play.

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Customers must agree to the terms, which take effect on Friday, before using AT&T’s services. AT&T’s previous policy guidelines did not explicitly say the company owned customer data.

In its broader privacy guidelines, which apply to all retail customers including phone clients, AT&T said it had an obligation to help law enforcement and would act “strictly within the law and under the most stringent conditions.”