Privacy and Customer Security Policies

Telephone Company Customer Privacy

This tells you about our privacy policy for our telephone company customers. Please use the following links for additional information:

• Internet Privacy Policy
• General Privacy Principles

For more than a century, customers have counted on Verizon's telephone companies to respect and protect the privacy of information we obtain in the normal course of providing service. While we are working hard to serve you in new and exciting ways, our commitment to protecting your privacy remains as strong as ever.

Your Privacy is Our Priority

Verizon has strict policies governing employee access to customer records. We access customer accounts, records or reports for authorized business purposes only. We educate our employees about their obligation to safeguard customer information and telephone calls, and we hold them accountable for their actions.

Privacy is a priority for Verizon when we develop new products and services. Verizon conducts a privacy review, which includes consumer input, as part of its product development process. We inform customers about any privacy implications of new products and services we introduce.

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The Information We Obtain, and How We Use It

Verizon obtains information about customers that helps us to provide service, and we use that information for business purposes only.

For example: We need to know your Agency name, address and the services you buy from us. When you call us, a service representative refers to your customer record to serve you better. It also may be useful for us to know about your Agency's telephone bill, calling patterns, and whether you have special needs. We may use that kind of information to offer you the most effective services for your particular needs.

If Verizon enters into a merger, acquisition, or sale of all or a portion of its assets, a customer's personally identifiable information will, in most instances, be transferred as a part of the transaction.

Or we may use information in our records to protect customers, employees or property, for instance, to investigate fraud or harassment.

We want to make sure the information we obtain and use is accurate. Much of this information is reflected in your monthly telephone bill. If you see an inaccuracy on your Verizon bill, and you let us know, then we can correct it.

Verizon regularly provides useful information about new products and services to our residential customers, including our customers with non-published telephone numbers. However, consumers who do not wish to receive such information can "opt out" or have their names removed from direct mail and telemarketing lists that we use internally. For example, if you receive an unwanted telemarketing call from us, simply tell a Verizon representative that you do not wish to receive future calls and ask to be placed on our "Do Not Call" list. Please understand that making this type of request may mean that you will be unaware of services or discounts that you might find useful.

You should know that when you speak with us at Verizon, a supervisor might listen in on that call. Supervisors listen in only to help train employees and ensure that we provide you with accurate information and high-quality customer service.

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Disclosure of Information Outside Verizon

As a rule, Verizon will notify you and give you the opportunity to "opt out" when we disclose telephone customer information outside of Verizon. In fact, we generally keep our records of the services you buy and the calls you make private, and will not ordinarily disclose this information to outside parties without your permission. However, we do release customer information without involving you if disclosure is required by law or to protect the safety of customers, employees or property. This is further explained below.

Examples of your control over the disclosure of information:

• You tell us the telephone listings you want to include in our directories and in directory assistance. You also may choose to have a non-published number, or a non-listed number, or to exclude your address from your listing.
• We may compile lists of names, addresses, and telephone numbers from our published White Pages directories and provide the lists to qualified companies that are conducting product promotions. Non-published and non-listed numbers will not be included in these lists, and we will remove other customers from these lists by request.
• All customers in areas where Caller ID services are available have the ability to block the display of their phone numbers and names. (Note that Caller ID blocking does not prevent the transmission of your phone number when you dial certain business numbers, including 911, or 800, 888, 877, and 900 numbers.

Examples where disclosure is required by law or to protect the safety of customers, employees or property:

• When you dial 911, information about your location may be transmitted automatically to a public safety agency. Certain information about your long distance calls is transmitted to your long distance company for billing purposes. Verizon also is required by law to give competitive local exchange carriers access to its customer databases for purposes of serving their customers, to exchange credit information with other carriers, and to provide listings (other than certain non-published and non-listed information) to directory publishers.
• Verizon must disclose information, as necessary, to comply with court orders or subpoenas. Verizon also will share information to protect its rights or property and to protect users of its services and other carriers from fraudulent, abusive or unlawful use of services.
• We may, where permitted by law, provide information to credit bureaus, or provide information and/or sell receivables to collection agencies, to obtain payment for Verizon billed products and services.
• Verizon also occasionally uses contractors to do work for the company. These contractors have the same obligations as our regular employees concerning customer information.

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Your Telephone Account Information Rights

The FCC refers to your telephone account information as Customer Proprietary Network Information or CPNI. Under Federal Law, you have the right to, and we have the duty to protect, the confidentiality of your telecommunications service information. This information includes the type, technical arrangement, quantity, destination, and amount of use of telecommunications services and related billing for these services.

We may use this information, without further authorization by you, to offer you: (i) services of the type you already purchase from us, and (ii) the full range of products and services available from Verizon and other Verizon companies that may be different from the type of services you currently buy from us. In addition to local telephone services, Verizon and other Verizon company services include long distance (where authorized), wireless, and Internet services. A more complete description of our companies and service offerings is available to Federal Government Agencies on this Web site. Use of your information will permit us to offer you a package of services tailored to your specific needs. Without further authorization by you, we may also share your information with other Verizon companies with whom you already have an existing service relationship.

No action by you is necessary to permit us to use your information to offer you services that may be different from the type of services you currently buy from us. However, prior to using your information for the first time, we will notify you by mail or through your account executive, and you will have 30 days to tell us, using the toll free number mentioned in our notice, if you do not want us to use your information to offer services different from the type of services you currently buy from us. After the 30 days has expired, Verizon may begin using your information to offer services different from those you currently purchase from us unless you have notified us that we may not use it for this purpose. At any time after the 30 days, however, you can change your decision by using the toll free number. Your decision will remain effective until you change it.

If you have any questions regarding the notice or would like to know how to restrict the use of your information, please call the Verizon Customer Sales & Solutions Center telephone number located on your telephone bill or visit the Customer Sales & Solutions Center to locate the telephone number for your area.

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Providing Services to Enhance Your Privacy

Verizon considers privacy implications as new services are planned and introduced and informs customers of the privacy implications of these services.

Non-published numbers, Caller ID and Caller ID blocking services, and Anonymous Call Rejection are among the privacy-management services Verizon offers our telephone customers. We also work to develop other services that help customers to control access to information about them. We seek customer input in developing new products and conduct comprehensive customer outreach and education efforts before and after introducing privacy-sensitive products.

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Protecting your Privacy in Cyberspace and in Other Areas of Our Business

At Verizon, we are committed to expanding the world of communications and multimedia for customers, a world of wireline and wireless solutions: voice, video, and data services, as well as information and entertainment. We will investigate the privacy implications these new services may have and build safeguards into services before they are introduced. We will inform and educate you about the effect on customer privacy any new services may have.

For example, Verizon's commitment to maintaining high standards for the protection of customer privacy extends beyond telephone service to include our Web sites. Recognizing concern over privacy on the Internet, Verizon has developed an on-line privacy policy that clearly defines the corporation's data collection processes and the use of that data at all times. Visitors to Verizon's Web sites -- for example, www.verizon.com, www.SuperPages.com, www.verizon.net -- are apprised of the types of information obtained, how it is obtained, how it is used, and how they can restrict the use or disclosure of that data.

Verizon is committed to maintaining high standards for the protection of customer privacy. At Verizon, your privacy is our priority. For more information on how Verizon strives to protect your privacy, customers can access our World Wide Web site at www.verizon.com.

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Updated March 2007