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Verizon To Pay $1.35M In 'Supercookie' FCC Settlement

WAMC Northeast Public Radio | By Dave Lucas
Published March 7, 2016 at 4:41 PM EST

Verizon will pay a $1.35 million fine over its "supercookie" that followed phone customers on the Internet and the government says it's required to get an explicit "yes" from customers for some kinds of tracking.

The supercookies, which the Federal Communications Commission said Verizon started using in 2012, landed their name because they were hard to block. They are used to deliver targeted ads to cellphone customers.

Verizon is investing in ad technology and media as it seeks new growth generators, spending $4.4 billion last year on AOL, for example.

The New York company has already changed some practices critics considered most invasive. It now lets customers opt out of the program, for example.

Verizon did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Copyright 2016 The Associated Press.

Copyright 2016 WAMC Northeast Public Radio
Dave Lucas
Dave Lucas is WAMC’s Capital Region Bureau Chief. Born and raised in Albany, he’s been involved in nearly every aspect of local radio since 1981. Before joining WAMC, Dave was a reporter and anchor at WGY in Schenectady. Prior to that he hosted talk shows on WYJB and WROW, including the 1999 series of overnight radio broadcasts tracking the JonBenet Ramsey murder case with a cast of callers and characters from all over the world via the internet. In 2012, Dave received a Communicator Award of Distinction for his WAMC news story "Fail: The NYS Flood Panel," which explores whether the damage from Hurricane Irene and Tropical Storm Lee could have been prevented or at least curbed. Dave began his radio career as a “morning personality” at WABY in Albany.
See stories by Dave Lucas

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The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

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