Privacy Policy

How We Protect Our Customers’ Personal Information

Definitions

What do the terms used in your Privacy Policy mean?

  • A Customer is anyone who purchases Voice Carrier products or services. When a Customer purchases products or services for use by others (for example, when a Customer purchases wireless service for use by staff in their business), those people may be considered Customers too.
  • A User is anyone who visits our Web sites.
  • Personal Information is information that directly identifies or reasonably can be used to identify an individual Customer or User. Examples include name, address, telephone number, email address, Social Security number, and financial account number. Personal Information does not include Published Listing Information as discussed in more detail below.
  • Anonymous Information is information that does not directly identify and cannot reasonably be used to identify an individual Customer or User.
  • Aggregate Information is information about groups or categories of Customers or Users, which does not identify and cannot reasonably be used to identify an individual Customer or User. Aggregate Information is a kind of Anonymous Information.
  • A Web site is any page or location on the Internet, no matter what device (cell phone, lap top, PC, etc.) or protocol (http, WAP, ftp or other) is used to access the page or location. In this Policy, we use the term Web site other similar terms such as “Internet site,” “site” and “Web page.”

Questions About the Scope of This Policy

What does this Policy cover?

This Privacy Policy covers our practices regarding the information we collect about our Customers and Users. All use of Voice Carrier products and services, and all visits to Voice Carrier Web sites are subject to this Privacy Policy.

Does this Policy apply to other users under my account with Voice Carrier?

Yes. This Policy applies to all Customers and Users. The Customer who holds the account with Voice Carrier is responsible for making sure all Users under the same account understand and agree to this Policy.

When is information not covered by this Policy?

Information that you provide to non-Voice Carrier companies is not covered by this Policy. For example:

When you download applications or make an online purchase from a non-Voice Carrier company while using Voice Carrier’s Internet or wireless services, the information collected by the non-Voice Carrier company is not subject to this Policy.

If you use public forums — such as social networking services, Internet bulletin boards, chat rooms, or blogs on Voice Carrier or non-Voice Carrier Web sites — you should be aware that any Personal Information you disclose publicly can be read, collected, or used by others. Once you choose to reveal Personal Information on such a site, the information is publicly available, and Voice Carrier cannot prevent distribution and use of that information by other parties.

If you are a wireless Customer roaming on the network of a non-Voice Carrier company, information about your location, usage and the numbers you dial will be subject to the privacy policy of the non-Voice Carrier company, and not this Policy.

Voice Carrier may license its brand to certain non-Voice Carrier companies (“Licensees”) for their use in marketing and selling certain non-Voice Carrier products and services. Licensees are subject to Voice Carrier quality control criteria and review procedures, designed to ensure a high standard of product or service performance. For example, Advanced American Telephones is a Licensee that sells Voice Carrier-branded telephone equipment. If you provide information to Advanced American Telephones when purchasing an Voice Carrier-branded product, your information will be subject to the privacy policy of Advanced American Telephones, and not this Policy.

Can my information be subject to more than one privacy policy?

Yes. For example:

When Voice Carrier jointly provides a service with a non-Voice Carrier company, your Personal Information may be subject to both this Policy and the privacy policy of the non-Voice Carrier company.  If you purchase Voice Carrier products or services from a non-Voice Carrier retailer, any information you provide to that retailer may be subject to that company’s privacy policy, Voice Carrier’s Privacy Policy, or both.

We encourage you to review the privacy policies of any non-Voice Carrier company with which you do business to determine what information will be collected and how it will be used or disclosed to others.

Questions About the Information We Collect

What information do we collect?

We collect different types of personal and non-personal information based on your use of our products and services and on our business relationship with you. Some examples include:

Account Information: Information we obtain as a result of your business relationship with us, such as:

Contact Information that allows us to communicate with you, including your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. Voice Carrier obtains your contact information when you order or register for our services.

Billing Information related to your financial relationship with us, such as the services you buy, the telephone numbers you call, the payments you make, your credit history, your credit card numbers, Social Security number, security codes, and your service history.

Technical Information related to the services we provide to you, including information about your use of our network, services, products or Web sites. Examples include:

Equipment Information that identifies the equipment you use on our network, such as equipment type, IDs, MAC addresses, serial numbers, settings, configuration, and software.

Performance Information about the operation of the equipment, services and applications you use on our network, such as IP addresses, URLs, data transmission rates and latencies, security characteristics, and information about the amount of bandwidth and other network resources you use in connection with uploading and downloading data to and from the Internet.

Voice Carrier Internet Site Usage Information about your use of Voice Carrier Web sites, including the pages you visit, the length of time you spend, the links or advertisements you follow and the search terms you enter on our sites, and the Web sites you visit immediately before and immediately after visiting one of our sites.

How do we collect information?

We collect information in three primary ways:

You give us Information:
We collect information from you when you purchase a service from us or when you interact with us about a product or service we offer or provide. For example, you provide us with Contact Information, and Billing Information (such as credit information and Social Security number) when you order a service or establish an account with us.

We collect information automatically:
We automatically collect certain types of information when you visit our Web sites or use our products and services. For example, we automatically collect various types of Technical Information when you use our video programming, wireless, WiFi or high-speed Internet products and services.

We collect information from other sources:
We may obtain information about you from outside sources. For example, we may request credit information about you from credit agencies for the purpose of initiating service to you, obtain commercially available demographic and marketing information about you from third parties, or purchase e-mail lists from third parties for advertising and marketing purposes.

How do we use the information we collect?

We use information we collect in a variety of ways. For example, we may use some or all of the information we collect as appropriate for the following purposes:

To initiate, provide and manage the services you purchase, and to respond to your questions or problems;

To develop, market, sell, bill and collect for our products and services;

To communicate with you regarding service updates as well as offers and promotions for features and services;

To deliver customized content, more relevant advertising and personalized offers for Voice Carrier and non-Voice Carrier products and services that may be of interest to you based on information we have collected—including the preferences you have expressed or interests you have demonstrated on our Web sites, in our stores, and through use of our products and services;

To conduct research and analysis directed toward maintaining, protecting and improving our network and the services we provide;

To address network integrity, quality control, capacity, misuse, viruses, and security issues, as well as for network planning, engineering and technical troubleshooting purposes;

To investigate, prevent or take action regarding illegal activities, suspected fraud, situations involving potential threats to the physical safety of any person, violations of our Terms of Service, Acceptable Use Policies or other service conditions or restrictions.

How do we use your information for local directory and directory assistance services?

We include Customer names, addresses and telephone numbers in a variety of directories. We make the same information available through our directory assistance services unless you request that this information remain “non-published” as discussed further below. We will not include listing information in directories or directory assistance services without your consent.

Published Listing Information
Listings of Voice Carrier telephone Customers are made available in various directories or directory assistance—some complimentary and some for a fee. These directories include published Customer names, addresses and telephone numbers. We also make that information available through directory assistance operators and systems (such as directory assistance, speech recognition, reverse number lookup and automated directory assistance services) and through the Internet.

Published listing information may be used, sorted, packaged, repackaged and made available again in different formats by anyone.

Non-Published Information
We offer Customers the opportunity to request that their name, number, and address not be published in directories or made available through directory assistance services. There is a fee for this service.

Non-Listed Information
We also give Customers the opportunity to request that their names, numbers and addresses be “non-listed” in Voice Carrier directories, but still made publicly available through directory assistance services. There also is a fee for this service.

Sharing with Unaffiliated Entities
We provide non-published telephone numbers, where permitted by law, to government entities and public safety providers for public health or safety reasons such as responding to 911 calls and notifying the public of wide-spread emergencies.

We may also provide Published Listing Information to government agencies, municipalities, utilities and other such entities for address and telephone number verification purposes.

Questions About Online Activity Tracking and Advertising

Do we collect information about your activity on our Web sites?

Yes. We collect information about your activity on our Web sites as described in response to the question “What information do we collect?” above. We use the information we gather for such purposes as improving your online experience, enhancing the capabilities of our sites and networks, delivering advertising to better match your interests and preferences and for other purposes. See our response to the question “How do we use the information we collect?, above, for more information.

What are cookies, Web beacons, widgets, and server log files, and how do you use them?

Generally, these terms can be defined as follows:

  • Cookies are small data files placed on your computer by the Web sites you visit and can be used to help recognize you as a user of that site when you return, or when you visit other sites.
  • Web beacons are small graphic images on a Web page or in an e-mail that can be used for such things as recording the pages and advertisements clicked on by users, or tracking the performance of e-mail marketing campaigns.
  • A widget is a small program or application that can be embedded in a web page. Widgets can provide real-time information, such as stock quotes or weather reports, or other functionality. Widgets are often provided by third parties, and may allow that third party to collect data about users viewing that page.
  • A server log is a record of activity created by the computer (called a “server”) that delivers the Web pages you request to your browser. For example, a Web server log may record the search term you entered or the link you clicked to bring you the Web page. The Web server log also may record information about your browser, such as your IP address and the cookies set on your browser by the server.

Using these and similar tools, our Web sites collect data about your activity, such as data about the type of browser and operating system you use, which of our Web pages you view, the time and duration of your visits to our Internet sites, the search queries you enter on our sites, and whether you clicked on an advertisement while on our site.

In general, we use this information as follows:

Site functionality: We use cookies and other tracking tools to help us analyze, manage and improve our Web sites. We also use these tools to manage your online ordering activity, to store your preferences and personalize your experience on our Web sites.

Advertising: We and our advertising partners use information gathered through cookies and other similar technologies, as well as other information we or they may have, to help tailor the ads you see on our sites and to help make decisions about the ads you see on other sites. For example, if you visit an Voice Carrier Web site, you may later see a related ad from us on a Web site you visit.

You can configure most standard Web browsers to alert you when a Web site is attempting to send a cookie to your computer and to allow you to accept or refuse the cookie. You also can set most standard browsers to disable the capacity to receive cookies, and to delete cookies you previously have accepted. Please note that some Web pages (including some Voice Carrier Web pages) may not work correctly if you have cookies disabled. More information about deleting and controlling cookies is available at www.AboutCookies.org.

We are committed to providing you with more control and transparency about the use of cookies and other tools used to provide you with online advertising. We are working with our advertising partners and other online companies to make those improvements, and hope soon to be able to provide you additional options for managing how your data is used.

Does Voice Carrier track your activities across non-Voice Carrier Web sites and use that information to target you with advertisements?

As described above, just like other Web site operators, Voice Carrier uses ad networks for ad placement, and those ad networks may track your online activities to provide you with advertisements both on and off Voice Carrier’s Web sites.

Voice Carrier does not currently use technologies available to Internet Service Providers, such as deep packet inspection, to track your Web browsing activities across the Internet for the purpose of tailoring advertising that could be relevant to you. If Voice Carrier ever decides to use technologies such as deep packet inspection to provide personalized advertising, you have our commitment that we will protect your privacy and provide you with value in exchange. Specifically, we will give you notice and provide easily understood tools to allow you to exercise meaningful consent before we can use such information for advertising purposes.

Questions Related to Information Sharing

Any sharing of your personal information among the Voice Carrier companies is subject to applicable legal restrictions, such as those that exist for customer proprietary network Information (CPNI).

What Is CPNI?

Customer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI) is information that relates to the quantity, configuration, type, destination, location and amount of use of the telecommunications services you purchase from us, as well as the information contained in your bills for those services. We collect CPNI in the normal course of providing you with telecommunications services. Your telephone number, name and address are not CPNI.

Do we share your Personal Information with non-Voice Carrier companies?

We share your Personal Information only with non-Voice Carrier companies that perform services on our behalf, and only as necessary for the provision of those services. We use non-Voice Carrier companies to perform many of the services outlined in the question “How do we use the information we collect?” above. For example, we may use external vendors to process and print your Voice Carrier billing statement, or to market, sell, and provide customer service for Voice Carrier products and services. We share your information with such vendors solely for that purpose.

We require non-Voice Carrier companies acting on our behalf to protect any Personal Information they may receive in a manner consistent with this policy, and do not allow them to use that information for any other purpose. Most importantly, we do not sell, give or “rent” your Personal Information to non-Voice Carrier companies for the marketing of their own products and services without your consent.

Are there any other circumstances in which your Personal Information may be provided to non-Voice Carrier entities?

We may provide Personal Information to non-Voice Carrier companies or other third parties (for example, to government agencies, credit bureaus and collection agencies) without your consent for certain purposes, such as:

  • To comply with court orders, subpoenas, lawful discovery requests and other legal or regulatory requirements, and to enforce our legal rights or defend against legal claims;
  • To obtain payment for Voice Carrier products and services, including the transfer or sale of delinquent accounts to third parties for collection;
  • To enforce our agreements, and protect our rights or property;
  • To prevent unlawful use of Voice Carrier’s services and to assist in repairing network outages;
  • To provide information regarding the caller’s location to a public safety entity when a call is made to 911, and to notify the public of wide-spread emergencies;
  • To notify or respond to a responsible governmental entity if we reasonably believe that an emergency involving immediate danger of death or serious physical injury to any person requires or justifies disclosure without delay;
  • To display name and telephone number on a Caller ID device (Note that Caller ID Blocking will prevent display of the name and number except in certain instances, for example, your name and number will not be blocked when you dial certain business, 911, 900 or toll-free numbers);
  • To notify the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children of information concerning child pornography of which we become aware through the provision of our services.

Do we share aggregate or anonymous information with non-Voice Carrier companies?

We may share Aggregate or Anonymous Information in various formats with trusted non-Voice Carrier entities for purposes such as the following:

  • Retail, marketing and advertising companies that do not provide services directly for Voice Carrier, but that do offer products and services that may be of interest to you;
  • Media research companies that may use the data we provide in combination with other information to provide audience analysis services;
  • Universities, laboratories, think tanks and other entities that conduct networking, social, behavioral, environmental and other types of scientific research, for the purpose of creating fundamental new knowledge;
  • Government or other entities that may use this data for purposes such as municipal planning, transportation planning and emergency and disaster response coordination.

Questions About Our Online Privacy Policy for Children:

Voice Carrier Web sites are not designed to attract children under the age of 13, and availability of some products and services may be limited to adults (age 18 or as provided by law). Please refer to the applicable Terms of Service for specific age requirements.

We do not target children for the collection of information online and do not knowingly collect personally identifying information from anyone under the age of 13 unless we first obtain permission from that child’s parent or legal guardian.

You should be aware that Internet and wireless devices and services purchased for family use may be used by minors without our knowledge. Any Personal Information collected as a result of such usage may appear to be associated with the adult Customer who subscribes to our services, and will be treated as such under this Policy.

You may e-mail us at support@voicecarrier.com or call us at 1-888-345-5203 with any questions or concerns you may have about our Children’s Online Privacy Policy.

Questions About Data Protection and Security:

Do we sell your Personal Information?

No. We do not sell your Personal Information to anyone, for any purpose. Period.

How long do we keep your Personal Information?

We keep your Personal Information only as long as needed for business, tax or legal purposes, after which we destroy it by making it unreadable or undecipherable.

What safeguards does Voice Carrier have in place?

We have established electronic and administrative safeguards designed to secure the information we collect, to prevent unauthorized access to or disclosure of that information and to ensure it is used appropriately. Some examples of those safeguards include:

  • All Voice Carrier employees are subject to the Voice Carrier Code of Business Conduct and certain state-mandated codes of conduct. The Voice Carrier Code requires all employees to follow the laws, rules, regulations, court and/or commission orders that apply to our business — including, specifically, the legal requirements and company policies related to the privacy of communications and the security and privacy of Customer records. Employees who fail to meet the standards embodied in the Code of Business Conduct are subject to disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal.
  • We have implemented technology and security features and strict policy guidelines to safeguard the privacy of your Personal Information. For example:
    • We maintain and protect the security of computer storage and network equipment, and our security procedures require user names and passwords to access sensitive data;
    • We have implemented encryption or other appropriate security controls to protect Personal Information when stored or transmitted by Voice Carrier;
    • We limit access to Personal Information to those employees, contractors, and agents who need access to such information to operate, develop, or improve our services and products;
    • We require caller/online authentication before providing Account Information so that only you or someone who knows your Account Information will be able to access or change the information.

Will you notify me in case of a security breach?

Although we strive to keep your Personal Information secure, no security measures are absolute, and we cannot guarantee that your Personal Information will never be disclosed in a manner inconsistent with this Policy (for example, as the result of unauthorized acts by third parties that violate the law or this Policy). We will make reasonable attempts to notify you if we determine that Voice Carrier has experienced a security breach and there is a reasonably likely risk of identity theft, or where otherwise required by law.

Questions About Customer Control

Can I review and correct my Personal Information?

Yes. Voice Carrier honors requests from Customers to review their Personal Information maintained in reasonably retrievable form, and we are happy to correct information found to be inaccurate. Customers may verify that appropriate corrections have been made. Please contact us here for assistance.

How can I limit your sales efforts?

We have established policies and practices to meet the expectations of Customers and potential customers who have expressed a desire to limit certain types of solicitation communications from Voice Carrier, including marketing contacts made via telephone, e-mail and text messaging.

For example, we periodically send Customers and potential customers’ news and updates via e-mail or text message regarding Voice Carrier-offered services, products and special promotions. Every marketing e-mail we send contains instructions and an online link that will allow you to stop additional Voice Carrier marketing e-mails for that product or service type. Customers may reply to wireless text message contacts with a “stop” message.

You can request to be removed from our telemarketing lists for consumer services and products by contacting us at one of the numbers listed here, or by sending an e-mail to privacypolicy@att.com. You also can request to be removed from these telemarketing lists when you receive an Voice Carrier marketing or promotional call. Where required by state laws and/or regulations, we honor requests from businesses to be removed from our telemarketing lists.

The FTC maintains a National Do Not Call Registry at https://www.donotcall.gov/, and your state may maintain its own Do Not Call Registry. Putting your number on these Registries also may limit our telemarketing calls to that number.

Information about your ability to restrict our use of your CPNI for certain marketing purposes is available here.

Our practices as described above are designed to satisfy state and federal legal requirements limiting marketing contacts. You should know that those laws and regulations — such as the requirements governing the state and federal “Do Not Call” lists — generally permit companies to contact their own current and, in some cases, former customers, even when those customers are listed on the federal and state “Do Not Call” lists. Similarly, restricting our use of your CPNI will not eliminate all types of Voice Carrier marketing contacts.

To limit postal mail solicitations, contact us at one of the numbers listed here. With this limitation you will continue to receive billing statements, legal notices, product updates and other similar correspondence, and you may still receive some promotional mailings.

What can I do to limit junk e-mails?

Voice Carrier works hard to detect and prevent junk e-mails (also referred to as “spam” e-mails) from ever reaching your computer. However, if you are receiving unwanted spam at an Voice Carrier e-mail address, please contact us for assistance at the appropriate link below:

  • Customers served via the Voice Carrier Powered by Yahoo! portal at www.att.net, please visit the Voice Carrier Yahoo! Anti-Spam Resource Center;
  • Customers served via the Voice Carrier portal at my.att.net , please visit the Voice Carrier Web site.

What can I do to protect my passwords and Account Information?

When selecting User names and passwords for Voice Carrier accounts, you should choose words or characters that are not obvious. Likewise, you should always keep Personal Information such as account numbers, Usernames, passwords or similar information in a secure place and not share the information with others.

What should I do to protect my wireless phones and PDA-type devices?

Most wireless phones and PDA-type devices store calling information both in the phone and on the SIM card and, in certain cases, on removable flash memory cards. You should use passwords to prevent unauthorized access to your wireless phone or device, your wireless service account, and your voice mail. Also, you should delete all contacts, photos, and any other personal or sensitive information from your wireless device before you discard, trade or give it way. To delete this information you should:

  • remove your phone’s SIM card, if it has one;
  • follow the manufacturer’s instructions for deleting all personal information on your wireless device as specified in your owner’s manual or on the manufacturer’s Web site, and;
  • look up device-specific information on clearing data from your wireless device.

Questions About Changes

Information about our Customers and Users, including Personal Information, may be transferred as part of any merger, acquisition, sale of company assets, or transition of service to another provider, as well as in the unlikely event of an insolvency, bankruptcy, or receivership in which Customer and User records would be transferred to another entity as a result of such a proceeding.

We reserve the right to update this Privacy Policy as necessary to reflect any changes we make and to satisfy legal requirements. If we make a material change to this Policy, we will post a prominent notice of the change on our Web sites, and provide you with other appropriate notice and choice regarding the use of your information, at least 30 days before the effective date.

Please check our Web sites periodically for changes to this Privacy Policy.

How to contact us about this policy:

We are happy to address any questions or concerns you may have about our privacy practices and policies. You may e-mail us at privacypolicy@voicecarrier.com. If you believe you have been aggrieved by any act of ours in violation of the law, we encourage you to contact us directly at either of these addresses to resolve your question or issue.