• by Mitch Oscar , Op-Ed Contributor, October 30, 2007

A few weeks ago there was an article written in The New York Times about a letter that Verizon Wireless has sent to its customers. Essentially, it informed them that it would begin sharing information from their calling records with its "affiliates, agents and parent companies." The caveat: if customers didn't want to have their information shared they had 30 days to "opt out."

I must admit that as a Verizon customer in good standing - two landlines and two wireless delineated across three separate monthly statements - I don't remember seeing the note. Maybe that is the point.

But then again, I remembered how diligent Verizon had been concerning my international calls to South Korea during August. After the third call within a three-week period - cumulatively totaling $1,000+ - they left me a voicemail: "This line has been restricted for any calls over the Verizon Networks. Please call the Verizon High Toll department at... during the following hours...." Within a day or two of the automated High-a-Toller call, I received a letter stating their concern that my phone activity had been irregular - I hadn't called Korea in many months -- and that they just wanted to make sure that it was, in fact, me who was connecting to the Koreans and not an identity thief.

Maybe that is the point: when it was important to them, they had me opt-in. Forcibly, I would add. Or was it when it was important to them and they thought I wouldn't opt-in, they called a legalistic opt-out play?

Therein lies the conundrum: reversible opt-ings. Information about my landline, wireless, online and video habits are very valuable to marketers - particularly if all of the information is culled from "affiliates, agents and parent companies." Media and telecommunication entities stand to glean lots of incremental revenue from more efficient datamining, targeting, and addressability. Therefore, if my information is valuable to you, big media entity, make it rewarding for me. Incentivize, encourage, dialogue, cuddle, coo: make me feel important and cared about. Have the High-a-Toller give me a call and the opportunity to evolve our relationship beyond goods and services. Ultimately, I would appreciate, as I imagine my fellow consumers would, marketing messages that are more relevant to my family and me.

Every day I am reading about new and evolving detection devices that are scanning people and their communication behavior to learn more about their habits and expressions -- whether through reading e-mails, eavesdropping voicemails, scrutinizing retinas, matching fingerprints or simply entering buildings or enjoying air travel - maybe enjoying air travel is a stretch. A question: every time I have x-rays taken at my dentist's office he, or his assistant, always exit the room. Is all this scanning hazardous to our health?