T-Mobile has been under fire due to privacy issues lately.
The company was accused of recording users’ screens by default in its T-Life app – a feature that was supposed to improve the user experience, but which had many app users very concerned about T-Mobile potentially spying on them.
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Hackers also recently claimed to have stolen the details of around 64 million customers, which Cybernews confirmed, indicating that hackers had data with full names, birthdays, tax IDs, addresses, and more.
T-Mobile denied that this recent breach occurred, but it wouldn’t be the first time that customer data was made vulnerable, as T-Mobile is in the process of distributing payments to clients affected by a 2021 data breach as part of a $350 million settlement agreement.
In light of all this controversy about T-Mobile’s privacy policies and data security issues, it’s not surprising that the “uncarrier” is looking for ways to appease customer concerns and reduce the risk of data falling into the wrong hands.
As part of those efforts, the company recently launched a new partnership. This should help ease customers’ fears about how, and with whom, T-Mobile is sharing their personal data.
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T-Mobile takes an important step toward securing your information
The newly announced T-Mobile partnership is with CLEAR, a technology company that provides identity verification services, including the popular service that makes it possible for pre-screened individuals to pass through airport security more quickly.
CLEAR will be working with T-Mobile to implement its CLEAR1 identity verification platform in T-Mobile’s employee verification process.
This will make it possible for workers at T-Mobile to confirm their identity through a selfie instead of using a fingerprint or a one-time PIN code like they did in the past.
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T-Mobile’s SVP of Cybersecurity Mark Clancy has described this step as an important one in light of the rise of cybersecurity threats.
“As cyber threats grow more complex and bad actors become more sophisticated, further securing T-Mobile starts with knowing exactly who’s behind the screen,” Clancy said. “CLEAR1 gives us a strong, identity-first approach that helps us build trust across our systems by verifying the person, not just their credentials. It’s a key step in strengthening our identity verification and better protecting our infrastructure, teams, and customers.”
CLEAR’s Chief Security Officer Jon Schlegel also believes it will help T-Mobile build more credibility on the issue of privacy and security, indicating, “Identity is the foundation of trust in every organization. CLEAR1 empowers businesses to strengthen security, reduce friction, and build confidence across their workforce.”
Not everyone is happy with T-Mobile’s new identity verification system
T-Mobile customers will likely be happy to have more clarity about who their customer service representatives are when they hand credit data over to them, especially in light of past security issues at T-Mobile.
However, not everyone is thrilled with the implementation of CLEAR’s identity verification model. Specifically, some employees have expressed concerns about whether this system will violate their privacy in the name of protecting customers.
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To use the system, employees will likely need to provide both a valid ID and a face scan to CLEAR. If they don’t, they may become unable to access the tools they need to do their job and help customers.
Some reports also allege that CLEAR was collecting more information than necessary and was not making assurances that the data would be deleted if an employee was terminated.
Employees would have the option to request that their information be deleted, but it would not necessarily happen by default.
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T-Mobile has reportedly been collaborating with concerned workers about how to implement the new technology in a way they are comfortable with.
But the bottom line is that the change is happening, and employees likely have few options as the carrier moves to bolster its reputation for protecting customer security and privacy.
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