Mentor
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5 Messages
DirecTV sharing of viewing activity
Heads up, DirecTV subscribers. Although AT&T's Privacy Policy states "Information we don’t share in Relevant Advertising: We don’t share information about your individual web browsing or TV viewing.", that is obviously not true. Last week I rented a skin flick on pay-per-view and since then I have been getting (Edited per community guidelines)ually suggestive texts daily. I never got them before, so the connection is obvious to me.
shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.1K Messages
4 years ago
All TV providers collect anonymous viewing data but if this was an On Demand program then it was using the internet and there may have been a corrupted router somewhere that sent it to the hackers.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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22.9K Messages
4 years ago
Only ANONYOMOUS viewing data is sent from the DirecTV box if you are internet connected. But sounds like somewhere that feed got intercepted resulting in spam texts from some crook.
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lhaff
Mentor
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5 Messages
4 years ago
It was not On Demand. It was recorded from Pay Per View channel 583.
Oh, and I can't use the word s-e-x on this forum? Good grief!
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.1K Messages
4 years ago
The channel may have sent those.
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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22.9K Messages
4 years ago
Doesn't have to be On Demand. If you are internet connected then anonymous viewing data (so not personally identifiable) goes through. This was one of the reasons boxes had to be connected to a phone line years ago.
But if you are getting targeted text then either that info was intercepted or is completely unrelated. They aren't sharing your personal viewing habits as anything that went out is anonymous. So it is not DirecTV/AT&T itself sharing that info.
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shannon02
ACE - Expert
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21.1K Messages
4 years ago
So how do they get his number to text him from this anonymous viewing data?
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lhaff
Mentor
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5 Messages
4 years ago
shannon02 That is an excellent question! AT&T/DirecTV has it. And yes my DVR is internet connected, but my TV is not, just for the record. Oh and BTW, AT&T does have a personally identifiable record of my PPV purchase. Just sayin'.....
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Juniper
ACE - Expert
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22.9K Messages
4 years ago
The PPV only shows, such as in the purchase history of your receiver, as it affects billing.
Phone number is not on the equipment but the account, if that is the one you have listed as your contact number. If that is your contact number, I would consider changing your passwords (for when you call in and online). Maybe even a BBB/FCC complaint if a bad employee is the (Edited per community guidelines) cause.
But if that number is not listed on the account, then that text is purely from an outside source.
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lhaff
Mentor
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5 Messages
4 years ago
Thank you both for your responses. The texts I've been getting are really no big deal, just a nuisance, and I'll keep on ignoring them. I just think there's something shady going on somewhere.
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