Privacy Online: AT&T To Charge Extra For Protections

AT&T is exploring the possibility of bringing back a surcharge for broadband customers who would like the company to ensure their privacy is protected.

In an interview on C-SPAN, AT&T Senior Vice President Bob Quinn said the telecommunications provider may resurrect a deeply unpopular provision that requires customers using AT&T internet services to pay a fee to opt out of the company’s data collection and sharing practices.

Read: How To Protect Your Browsing History: Internet Service Providers Argue Against Your Privacy

Quinn acknowledged AT&T received pushback in the past when it attempted to roll out what he referred to as an “ad-supported internet service” in Austin, Texas.

The company charged $70 per month for the service, which allowed the company to freely collect user information and serve up targeted advertising. For those who wanted to opt out of the collection practices, an additional $29 fee called a “premium offer” was tacked on top of the $70 price tag.

That service expanded to a number of locations across the country where the so-called “premium” privacy charge could add between $348 to $800 to a customer’s annual bill, depending on what services were included in the bundle. That price also didn’t necessarily stop AT&T from collecting data, just opted the user out of seeing targeted advertisements based on their browsing history.

“Privacy advocates screamed about that,” Quinn said, but argued consumers wanted more control over the pricing model of their interest service. “We were giving people a choice, you could make a choice on that.”

Read: Internet Privacy Vote: Congress Decides To Kill Rules Preventing ISPs From Collecting, Selling Data

The AT&T executive acknowledged there is a newfound demand for privacy among consumers but seemed to view the solution to that as providing that privacy at a price rather than as an inherent feature of the service.

"As the privacy revolution evolves, I think people are going to want more control, and maybe that's the pricing model that ultimately is what consumers want," he said.

AT&T did drop its premium fees for privacy protections for a time as a means of appeasing regulators while the company pushed for its purchase of Time Warner to be approved. But with that deal appearing as though it will go unchallenged under the Donald Trump administration, the company is once again looking to charge for privacy assurances.

AT&T already celebrated the death of a privacy rule previously passed by the Federal Communications Commission that would have required internet service providers to ask customers before collecting sensitive data including browsing history.

That rule was undone by Congress after a major push from advertisers and ISPs including AT&T, who lobbied through industry group CTIA for the removal of the rule.

As the same groups push against net neutrality rules, which are set to be stripped by Trump-appointed FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, it seems more likely that privacy will come at a cost for AT&T customers.