Verizon has finally raised its white flag after receiving backlash from critics over the use of "supercookies" by giving customers the ability to opt out of the tracking codes.
Security researchers discovered last year that Verizon and AT&T have been tracking the websites that their customers usually visit through their smartphones to deliver ads. AT&T immediately stopped its supercookie-tracking program, but Verizon kept its program going, explaining that it uses the customers' mobile usage information and consumer information for business and marketing reports.
The telecommunications firm tried to appease its customers by saying that the information collected by the supercookies will be kept private, but people were skeptical. Even the lawmakers were not convinced and wrote a letter to Verizon's CEO Lowell McAdam demanding an explanation.
The company announced on Tuesday that it has modified its systems to allow customers to opt out of the tracking program, according to the New York Times.
"As the mobile advertising ecosystem evolves, and our advertising business grows, delivering solutions with best-in-class privacy protections remains our focus," Verizon spokeswoman Debra Lewis said in a statement. "As a reminder, we never share information with third parties that identifies our customers as part of our advertising programs."
Despite the change, privacy advocates still feel that Verizon is not doing enough.
"This is an improvement, but it doesn't do nearly enough," Jacob Hoffman-Andrews, a technologist for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the New York Times. "Verizon should discontinue its header injection program, or at a minimum make it opt-in."
Customers can go to their online accounts on Verizon's website to disable the supercookies or call 1-866-211-0874.
