Not sure how we'll COPE

[Drasca]

Eww eww eww eww

http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=2968

AT&T's updated policy has an impact on the company's 7 million Internet and video customers

AT&T has a new privacy policy that will go into effect tomorrow. The new policy officially says that the company can access AT&T customer confidential information and is allowed to do whatever it wishes with it. Specifically, it can be used "to protect its legitimate business interests, safeguard others, or respond to legal process." The new policy will allow AT&T to hand over customer data to anyone for any reason. Customers that want to keep using AT&T will have to agree to the new policy after it is enacted. The company will also begin monitoring the viewing habits of its customers, which will allow it to track usage on its U-verse IPTV service.

"While your account information may be personal to you, these records constitute business records that are owned by AT&T," is the official statement from AT&T. AT&T "does not access, read, upload or store data contained in or derived from private files without the member's authorization," has also been enacted with the new policy.

The policy change comes at a time when many privacy advocates are already angered with AT&T after it was disclosed that the company has helped the National Security Agency (NSA) eavesdrop on U.S. citizens. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) both currently have lawsuits pending against AT&T. In AT&T's defense, the company claims that the changes have been in the works since December 2005, but