How much is your online privacy actually worth? Users of AT&T’s Gigapower internet service should be asking themselves this very question.
The service, currently only available in select markets in Texas, North Carolina, and Kansas City offers consumers a choice: If you want to keep your internet browsing private, it will cost you roughly $30 more a month. For those that choose the more affordable, less private option, AT&T will be recouping that cost by routing all your traffic through a scanning system that will use the data to send targeted advertisements at your email inbox and front door.
AT&T’s website says the Internet Preferences option tracks “the webpages you visit, the time you spend on each, the links or ads you see and follow, and the search terms you enter.” This helps AT&T serve ads based on a user’s interests and browsing habits, but comes at a great cost to user privacy.
This wouldn’t be so surprising if other ISP’s were offering the same options, but that is not the case. In most Gigapower markets consumers can obtain equivalent fiber service from another provider, at a similar price point, and they won’t have to deal with an intrusive Deep Packet Inspection marketing platform.
AT&T users won’t be able to “opt out” of the Internet Preferences tracking program, unless of course you pay the increase in fee. This monthly price increase can be up to $744 per year depending on what region the consumer is setting up service in.
Bypass the Data Collection with VPN Service
Using TorGuard VPN service can help keep your browsing anonymous and hidden from mass data collection. When using a VPN, the traffic is encrypted before it even gets to AT&T’s servers. This makes it impossible for the scanning system to see what websites you visit, or what search terms you enter into Google.
Opting to get a VPN is more affordable too… If you sign up for the $30 discount, a $5 VPN subscription can get your privacy back!
Get TorGuard’s premium anonymous VPN to enhance your online privacy and protect yourself from intrusive marketing schemes. With TorGuard, you can have military grade VPN encryption guarding your data and a virtual presence in over 42 countries. More features include:
– FIVE simultaneous connections on all your devices.
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– VPN Service for as low as $4.99 / month, Access 1000+ IP’s in over 42+ countries
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– Unblock censorship anywhere in the world and Fully encrypt your downloads / browsing
– Fast connections with 100% Uptime featuring Unlimited Bandwidth and Speeds
– 24/7 365 Support For Help – Real people with real answers.
