Comcast’s internet provider, Xfinity, automatically opts customers in, allowing the company to retain sensitive personal data. This includes information such as race, ethnicity, political affiliations, and other protected classifications under the law.
While Comcast claims not to sell identifying customer information to third parties, they use certain details to improve services, analyze experiences, and deliver relevant ads. Shuvankar Roy, then Vice President of Customer Experience at Comcast, mentioned in a 2018 Q&A that analytics help identify pain points in the customer journey.
Xfinity data breach
In December, a security incident at Xfinity resulted in a data breach where usernames, passwords, contact information, and partial social security numbers were stolen. Comcast reported unauthorized access to internal systems and notified customers about the breach affecting approximately 35.9 million users. The company later urged customers to change passwords, enable two-factor authentication, and initiated an investigation.
To opt out of Xfinity’s data storage, customers can visit the Privacy Center page, review privacy preferences, and manage sensitive personal information settings. By turning off the option for storage and usage of sensitive personal information, customers can limit data processing, though some usage for service provision, security, and fraud monitoring may still occur.
How to opt out of Xfinity’s data storage
Visit Xfinity’s Privacy Center page, review privacy preferences, and manage sensitive personal information settings. Provide necessary information for record-keeping, submit the form, and turn off the storage and usage of sensitive personal information option. Comcast may take up to a month to process requests, with exceptions for specific states like California, Colorado, Connecticut, Utah, and Virginia. Customers will be notified if the processing time is longer than expected.
Featured image: Canva / Xfinity
