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 (available at verizon.com/privacy) 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's FiOS TV cable service and other FiOS TV 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:
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the nature of the personally identifiable information we collect
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how we may use this personally identifiable information
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under what conditions and circumstances we may disclose personally identifiable information and to whom
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how long we maintain personally identifiable information
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how you may obtain access to your personally identifiable information
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our rights under the Cable Act concerning the collection and disclosure of personally identifiable information and your rights to enforce limitations provided by federal law.
In this notice, when we use the terms "Verizon," "we," "us," or "our," we are referring to the Verizon company or companies that are providing FiOS TV service to you.
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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 applies to 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, unless a subscriber consents, Verizon is only permitted to use the FiOS TV cable system to collect personally identifiable information necessary to render our FiOS TV cable service or other services or to detect unauthorized reception of cable communications. The Cable Act prohibits us from using our cable system to collect personally identifiable information about any subscriber for any other purpose without the subscriber's 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, which may not be personally identifiable, to enable us to provide our subscribers with quality service. This may include billing, payment and deposit history, service and credit records, past correspondence with subscribers, the services subscribed to and subscriber services preference, the purchases subscribers make over the system, and the types and number of devices subscribers use to connect to the system (e.g., televisions, Set Top Boxes).
Additionally, if a subscriber rents his or her residence, we may have a record of whether landlord permission was required to install our cable service facilities as well as the landlord's name and contact information. We may also maintain research records containing information obtained through voluntary subscriber interviews or surveys.
When a subscriber uses or interacts with our FiOS TV cable service or equipment, our FiOS TV system automatically collects certain information on the use of the service and equipment. Most of this information is anonymous and/or aggregated and not personally identifiable and is used, for example, to execute commands made using the remote control or Set Top Box. This may include information required to change the television channel, review listings in the Interactive Media Guide, and pause or fast-forward through certain programs, among other information. It may also include other information such as the specific service features used and the amount of time spent 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 cable system may collect certain personally identifiable information, such as subscriber's account information, in addition to the product or service purchased, so that the subscriber 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 services to our subscribers, 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:
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to ensure that subscribers are receiving the services ordered
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to allow us and our affiliates, vendors and agents to properly maintain those services and to make improvements or upgrades when necessary
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to confirm that subscribers are being properly billed
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to inform subscribers of new products or services that may be of interest to subscribers
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to allow us to understand the use of, and identify improvements to, our services
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to prevent fraud, including the unauthorized use of our service
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to ensure our own compliance with the law.
The FiOS TV Cable system may also collect anonymous and/or aggregated information using Set Top Boxes and other equipment when providing FiOS TV cable service or other services to subscribers. We use this anonymous and/or aggregated information to improve our services and to improve the content that subscribers receive (for example, to determine which programs and channels are most popular, to measure viewership of commercials and to understand how the Interactive Media Guide is being used). We may also use anonymous and/or aggregated information to make programming and advertising more relevant to our subscribers. Anonymous or aggregated information is not personally identifiable, is not connected or associated with any particular subscriber, and our collection, use and disclosure of anonymous or aggregate information varies in accordance with our business needs and activities.
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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 our subscribers. 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 our subscribers to outside auditors and regulators as permitted as law. We may also disclose information in anonymous and/or aggregate formats, such as ratings surveys and service usage and other statistical reports, which do not personally identify particular subscribers, a subscriber's particular viewing habits, or any transaction a subscriber has made over our system. We may provide certain anonymous and/or aggregate information to third parties such as audience measurement firms in connection with various business needs and activities, who may combine it with other anonymous and/or aggregated demographic information (such as census data) to provide audience analysis information. We use this information to improve our services and make our programming and advertising decisions.
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 subscribers' 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 requires that we disclose personally identifiable information (including the selection of video programming) to a third-party or governmental entity in response to a court order. In the event the court order is sought by a non-governmental entity, we are required to notify our subscriber of the court order. If the court order is sought by a governmental entity, the Cable Act requires that the subscriber be afforded the opportunity to appear and contest any claims made in support of the court order sought. We may also be required by federal law to disclose certain subscriber record information (but not records revealing the selection of video programming) to comply with valid legal process, such as warrants, court orders or subpoenas without any subscriber notice or consent to such disclosure.
Additionally, we may also use or disclose personally identifiable information about our subscribers without subscriber 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 subscribers with the opportunity to limit or prohibit such disclosure. It is Verizon's policy not to disclose any personally identifiable information about our subscribers to others outside of Verizon and its affiliates, vendors and business partners unless our subscribers provide prior consent or we are required to do so by law. Before Verizon ever makes such mailing lists available to others outside Verizon and its affiliates, vendors and business partners, it will provide our subscribers 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 our subscribers no longer than necessary for the purpose for which it was collected or as required by law. This means we may also maintain this information for a period of time after they 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.
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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, voice or wireless services?
If you are a subscriber to Verizon FiOS Internet service, a description of our privacy practices may be found at verizon.com/privacy. 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 available at verizon.com/privacy. If you are a Verizon Wireless subscriber, a description of Verizon Wireless privacy practices and CPNI policies can be found at verizon.com/privacy.
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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 January 2009
