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Privacy and Customer Security Policies |
| FiOS TV Subscriber Privacy Notice |
Verizon respects your right to privacy. In addition to our compliance with laws and regulations
designed to protect your privacy, we adhere to a set of General
Privacy Principles that provide the basic foundation for all of our privacy practices and policies.
Why is Verizon providing this notice to me?
As a subscriber to Verizon FiOS TV cable service or other services provided over Verizon's
facilities that are used to provide cable service ("other services"), we are providing this
notice to help you understand our privacy practices and your rights under Section 631 of the
Cable Communications Policy Act of 1984 (the "Cable Act"). Under the Cable Act, you are entitled
to know:
• The nature of the personally identifiable information we collect and the way we use this information
• Under what circumstances we may disclose personally identifiable information and to whom
• How long we maintain personally identifiable information
• How you may obtain access to your personally identifiable information
• Your rights under the Cable Act concerning personally identifiable information
In this notice, when we use the terms "Verizon," "we," "us," or "our," we are referring to the
Verizon company that owns and/or operates the FiOS TV cable system in your area pursuant to a
cable television franchise obtained from the relevant franchising authority, and any company
that (i) is owned or controlled by, or under common ownership or control with, the Verizon company,
and (ii) provides any wire or radio communications service.
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What is personally identifiable information?
Personally identifiable information is information that identifies a particular person.
It does not include aggregate data that does not identify a particular person. This notice
addresses the personally identifiable information that you have furnished to us or that we have
collected using the FiOS TV cable system when we provide FiOS TV or other services to you.
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What kind of personally identifiable information does Verizon collect?
Under the Cable Act, Verizon is only permitted to collect personally identifiable information
needed to provide our FiOS TV cable service or other services to you or to detect unauthorized
reception of cable communications. The Cable Act prohibits us from using our cable facilities to
collect personally identifiable information about you for any other purpose without your prior
written or electronic consent.
The personally identifiable information we collect typically includes name, address, telephone
number, driver's license number, Social Security Number, and credit card or bank account number.
We also collect other information to enable us to provide you the highest quality service with
minimal delays. This may include service and credit records, past correspondence with you, the
services you subscribe to and your navigation through those services, the purchases you make over
the system, and the types and number of devices you use to connect to the system (e.g., televisions
and computers). To provide you with a more personalized experience, we also may collect
information such as your locality and the service preferences you indicate through your voluntary
interaction with the system.
Additionally, if you rent your residence, we may have a record of whether landlord permission was
required to install our cable service facilities as well as your landlord's name and contact
information. We may also maintain research records containing information obtained through
voluntary subscriber interviews or surveys.
When you use interactive or other transactional television services, our FiOS TV system
automatically collects certain information on your use of these services. Most of this
information is not personally identifiable information and is used to execute commands you make
using your remote control or set-top box. This may include information required to change your
television channel, review listings in an electronic program guide, and pause or fast-forward
through certain on demand programs, among other information. It may also include other information
such as the specific service features you use and amount of time you spend using them. However,
in order to carry out a request to watch a pay-per-view program or video on demand, for example,
the FiOS TV system may collect certain personally identifiable information, such as your account
information, in addition to the product or service purchased, so that you may be properly billed
for the program.
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How does Verizon use personally identifiable information?
Verizon uses personally identifiable information in order to provide the highest quality FiOS TV
service and other services to you, and to help us detect theft of service. This means maintaining
good business records for a number of business activities, including, but not limited to, records
needed:
• To ensure that you are receiving the services you ordered
• To allow us to properly maintain those services and to make improvements or upgrades when
necessary
• To confirm that you are being properly billed
• To inform you of new products or services that may be of interest to you
• To allow us to understand the use of, and identify improvements to, our services
• To prevent fraud, including the unauthorized use of our service
• To ensure our own compliance with the law
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Does Verizon disclose personally identifiable information to others?
Verizon considers the personally identifiable information contained in our business records to be
confidential. We are, however, authorized under the Cable Act to disclose personally identifiable
information if the disclosure is necessary to provide or conduct a legitimate business activity
related to the FiOS TV service or other services provided over our facilities or as required by
law or legal process.
Our disclosure of personally identifiable information to other parties (such as our affiliates,
vendors, and agents) will depend on whether it is necessary to conduct a legitimate business
activity related to the FiOS TV service or other services rendered to you. For example,
we may engage such parties to assist us in billing and collections, administration, surveys,
marketing, service delivery and customization, maintenance and operations, and fraud prevention.
We may also disclose personally identifiable information about you to outside auditors and
regulators. We may also collect, use, and disclose information in non-personally identifiable
or aggregate formats, such as ratings surveys and service usage and other statistical reports,
which do not personally identify you, your particular viewing habits, or any transaction you
have made over our system.
If we (or our parent company) enter into a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of
our assets, subscribers' personally identifiable information will, in most instances, be
transferred as part of the transaction.
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When is Verizon required to disclose personally identifiable information by law?
We make every reasonable effort to protect our subscriber's privacy as described in this notice;
however, we may be required by law to disclose personally identifiable information about a
subscriber without his or her consent and without notice in order to comply with a valid legal
process such as a subpoena, court order, or search warrant.
The Cable Act may require that we disclose personally identifiable information to a third party or
governmental entity in response to a court order or other legal process. In the event the court
order is sought by a non-governmental entity, we are required to notify you of the court order
and your opportunity to appear in court and contest the order. If the court order or other
legal process is sought by a governmental entity, the Cable Act requires that we disclose the
information to the government unless the records sought involve your video programming selections,
in which case you will be given the opportunity to appear and contest any claims made in support
of the court order or legal process.
Additionally, we may also use or disclose personally identifiable information about you without
your consent to protect our customers, employees, or property, in emergency situations, and to
enforce our rights under our terms of service and policies, in court or elsewhere.
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Can I limit or prohibit Verizon's use of my personally identifiable information?
You may contact Verizon at the Ordering/Billing number referenced on your bill to ask us to put
you on our "Do Not Call", "Do Not Email" or "Do Not Mail" lists so that you do not receive
marketing or promotional telephone calls, email, or mail from us or our agents.
The Cable Act permits cable operators to disclose subscriber name and address information to
other parties, but only after providing you with the opportunity to limit or prohibit such
disclosure. It is Verizon's policy not to disclose any personally identifiable information
about you to others outside of Verizon and its affiliates, vendors and business partners unless
you provide your prior consent or we are required to do so by law. Before Verizon ever makes
such mailing lists available to others, it will provide you with notice and an opportunity to
prohibit or limit such disclosure.
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How does Verizon protect personally identifiable information?
We follow industry-standard practices to prevent unauthorized access to personally identifiable
information by a person other than the subscriber or us. However, we cannot guarantee that these
practices will prevent every unauthorized attempt to access, use, or disclose personally
identifiable information.
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How long does Verizon maintain personally identifiable information?
Verizon will maintain personally identifiable information about you no longer than necessary for
the purpose for which it was collected. This means we may also maintain this information for a
period of time after you are no longer a subscriber if it is necessary for business, legal, or
tax purposes. We will destroy the information if we have no pending requests, orders, or court
orders for access to this personally identifiable information, after we determine that it is no
longer necessary for the purposes for which it was collected and in compliance with any local requirements.
If you are a resident of New Jersey, Verizon will notify you, in writing, when any personally
identifiable information concerning you, your household or a user of your terminal is destroyed.
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Where and when can I see my personally identifiable information?
If you would like to see your personally identifiable information, please send us a written
request to the correspondence address listed in the "Contact Us" section of your bill. We will be
glad to arrange a convenient time and location during regular business hours for you to see the
information upon furnishing proper identification. You will only be permitted to examine records
that contain personally identifiable information about you and no one else. If you believe any of
your personally identifiable information is inaccurate, we will work with you to ensure that the
appropriate corrections are made. Verizon reserves the right to charge you for the cost of
photocopying any documents that you request.
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What can I do if I think my privacy rights have been violated?
Verizon takes your privacy rights very seriously. If you believe that your privacy rights have
been violated, please contact us immediately. We will take immediate steps to address your
concerns. If you believe that you have been aggrieved as a result of our violation of the Cable
Act, you may enforce the limitations imposed on us by the Cable Act through a civil lawsuit
seeking damages, attorney's fees, and litigation costs. Other rights and remedies may be
available to you under federal or other applicable laws as well.
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Does this notice apply to Verizon's FiOS Internet service or voice service?
If you are a subscriber to Verizon FiOS Internet service, a description of our privacy practices
may be found at http://www2.verizon.net/policies/privacy.asp.
If you are a subscriber to Verizon's voice service, our privacy practices are described in Verizon's
Privacy and CPNI Policies for Voice Services. That policy is available
at http://www22.verizon.com/about/privacy/customer/.
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Will Verizon notify me if it changes this notice?
As required by the Cable Act, we will provide you with a copy of our subscriber privacy notice on
an annual basis. We may modify this notice at any time. We will notify you of any material
changes through written, electronic, or other means as permitted by law. You may cancel your
service at any time if you do not agree to any change. By continuing to use the service after
a change is in effect, you accept the change and agree to abide by it.
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Updated September 20, 2005
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FiOS TV Subscriber Privacy Notice
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