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REUTERS
AT&T Alters Policy

ASSOCIATED PRESS

June 22,2006

SAN ANTONIO - AT&T Inc. is changing its privacy policy for Internet and television customers to specify that account information is a business record the company owns and can be disclosed to government and law enforcement and to protect the company's "legitimate business interests."

AT&T said that the account information, which includes the customer's name, address, telephone number and e-mail address as well as information about the customer's services, constitute business records and are owned by AT&T. The company said account information doesn't include usage information, such as how a person uses the Web or what programs a person using the company's television service watches.

The San Antonio company may disclose customer information "in response to subpoenas, court orders, or other legal process, or to establish or exercise our legal rights or defend against legal claims," the company said in the policy update, which was sent to 7 million Internet and television customers.

The new policy takes effect Friday.

While the old policy didn't specifically call the account information business records owned by the company, AT&T says that was implied.

Under the new policy, customers must agree to it before using the company's broadband and TV service. AT&T's old policy didn't include such a requirement. The new policy also was consolidated for Internet and television service.

AT&T said in its notice sent to its Internet customers that the company would continue its policy of not sharing customer information with advertisers for marketing purposes.

AT&T officials did not return calls seeking comment Wednesday night.

The company said the new policy was not related to the widespread public concern that followed news reports last month about the three largest U.S. Bell companies sharing telephone calling data with the National Security Agency. Two others, BellSouth Corp. and Verizon Communications Inc., have said they did not provide customer calling data with the NSA.


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