Heads up, T-Mobile customers. It seems the carrier has quietly rolled out a couple of new privacy settings in its “Privacy Center.” The catch is that these T-Mobile’s new “Privacy” toggles are turned on by default. One of them aims for fraud protection, which seems good. However, the other, concerning “Sharing certain financial information,” doesn’t sound very good.

Let’s dive into what these new toggles mean for your data. The first new setting is “Fraud and identity theft protection.” On the surface, this sounds helpful, as it uses your data to flag potential fraud, like unusual call activity or contact detail changes for your bank. However, the exact extent of this sharing and with whom remains a bit unclear. So, there are still raising questions about data security.

A new privacy setting allows the carrier to share your financial data

The second toggle, and arguably the more sensitive one, is “Sharing certain financial information.” If this is active (which it is, by default), T-Mobile can share your financial data, think payment history, financed devices, and account balances, with “Financial companies for joint marketing” and “Affiliates for marketing purposes.” Bad actors could use this kind of sensitive personal financial data for profiling or worse. Naturally, many would prefer to keep it strictly private.

The concern here is not just about the data sharing itself. The main problem is that these new toggles are “on” without explicit user consent. Most privacy advocates argue that such sensitive settings should be opt-in, giving users full control from the start.

How to find and disable T-Mobile’s new “Privacy Settings” toggles

Good news: turning these off is straightforward, though you will need to do it for each line on your account.

Here is how to do it using the T-Life app:

Open the T-Life app on your phone.

Navigate to the “Manage” tab.

Tap the “Gear” icon (usually found in the top right corner).

Scroll down and select “Privacy and Policies.”

Tap “Get Started” to enter your Privacy Center dashboard.

Locate the new toggles for “Sharing certain financial information” and “Fraud and identity theft protection,” and simply switch them off.

Remember, these settings are specific to each line on your plan. So, you will have to repeat the process if you have multiple numbers. Alternatively, you can also manage these settings by logging into your account via the T-Mobile website and navigating to the Privacy Center. Taking a few moments to adjust these settings ensures your personal financial data remains exactly that: personal.
The post T-Mobile Rolls Out New—Worrying—Privacy Settings, Enabled by Default appeared first on Android Headlines.

Source: ndroidheadlines.com