BACKGROUND: On May 5th I sent Shaw Communications and Bell Mobility each a request for the personal information they have on me as per the Canadian Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA). I used Citizen Lab research Chris Parson’s form letter which made it easy. You can read about the weird results from Shaw at the links below:
It was easy, and I learned a lot. You should do it too!
Reply from Bell
On July 10th I received my privacy report from Bell Mobility. The report was expected within 30 days but I received an email extending the deadline, and then adjusting that extension. I am unsure if a claim can be made here.
Bell replies on May 8th, May 27th and Jun 12th.
I have been a subscriber for just 2 years, and only subscribe to their mobile services — no television or internet. The package was about 40 pages with a 2 page intro letter and a 2 page glossary of technical terms. The glossary is pretty necessary since the rest of the package was all screen caps of Bell’s customer management application. That’s right, they showed me exactly what their reps see, going through every menu and tab, redacting only the names and other identifiers of the agents I have dealt with. It was all pretty routine and as expected. The only interesting thing about these screencaps is it looks like Bell is still using Win 95. 😉
There was one omission: there were no references to Bell’s controversial Relevant Ads program. So I emailed the Privacy Officer who promptly replied with the following:
My apologies, it was an oversight on my part, I inadvertently did not include the information related to the Relevant Ad Program in your information package. I have attached it for your information.
Excellent and timely response! Especially considering how long it took to get the first package. The only thing I have to complain about is she uses double spaces after her periods. 😉
On to the interesting bits: as soon as the Relevant Ads Program was announced, I opted out right away. I understood that what I was opting out of was being shown relevant ads, not being collected against. Thus it is not surprising the extent of the profile that Bell has on me, even though I only use just one of their services.
Below are all 56 categories they submitted to me and how they classified me. There are 3 main categories with a series of subcats each with various options. I have no idea how many potential options there are. I have reorganized them by topical category at the very bottom of this post. Since some of them repeat, it seems like they have 56 slots to put in an interest for an individual. We need more reports to reverse-engineer this!
The picture of me it paints is pretty accurate. I am interested in tech, movies and football (soccer). But, it also makes me think I should be using Tor on my phone more.
Anyways, take a gander at my preferences, and my all means, submit your own request and find out what they are recording about you!
Raw data
immedCat
- Technology=Cell Phones
- Technology=Network Security
- Arts & Entertainment=Movies
- Hobbies & Interests=Video & Computer Games
- Technology=Antivirus Software
- Technology=Web Design/HTML
shortCat
- Arts & Entertainment=Television
- Technology=Cell Phones
- Sports=General
- Shopping=Online
- Arts & Entertainment=Movies
- Technology=Network Security
- Science=Weather
- Technology=Antivirus Software
- Arts & Entertainment=Books & Literature
- News=Local News
- Arts & Entertainment=Music
- Style & Fashion=Beauty
- Hobbies & Interests=Video & Computer Games
- Hobbies & Interests=Photography
- Travel=Budget Travel
- Automotive=Road-Side Assistance
- Business=Government
- Technology=Web Design/HTML
- Technology=Shareware/Freeware
- Technology=Computer Peripherals
- Hobbies & Interests=Freelance Writing
- Business=Business Software
- Education=College Life
- Home & Garden=Entertaining
- Home & Garden=Entertaining
longCat
- Arts & Entertainment=Television
- News=Local News
- Technology=Computer Peripherals
- Hobbies & Interests=Photography
- Technology=Cell Phones
- Science=Weather
- Sports=General
- Technology=Network Security
- Arts & Entertainment=Movies
- Arts & Entertainment=Music
- Shopping=Online
- Technology=Shareware/Freeware
- Technology=Antivirus Software
- Technology=Web Design/HTML
- Hobbies & Interests=Video & Computer Games
- Arts & Entertainment=Books & Literature
- Technology=Data Centers
- Style & Fashion=Beauty
- Automotive=Road-Side Assistance
- Personal Finance=Investing
- Technology=Email
- Hobbies & Interests=Freelance Writing
- Home & Garden=Entertaining
- Hobbies & Interests=Radio
- Sports=Soccer
Options by Category
Technology
- Cell Phones
- Network Security
- Antivirus Software
- Web Design/HTML
- Shareware/Freeware
- Computer Peripherals
- Data Centers
Arts & Entertainment
- Movies
- Television
- Music
- Books & Literature
Hobbies & Interests
- Video & Computer Games
- Photography
- Freelance Writing
- Photography
- Radio
Sports
- General
- Soccer
Shopping
- Online
Science
- Weather
News
- Local News
Style & Fashion
- Beauty
Travel
- Budget Travel
Automotive
- Road-Side Assistance
Business
- Government
- Business Software
Education
- College Life
Home & Garden
- Entertaining
Personal Finance
- Investing
