TL;DR version:
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Mobile carriers collect and sell customer data for profit.
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Carriers use various methods to collect data, including default settings that enroll customers in data collection programs without their knowledge or consent, and opt-in programs that require explicit consent but may use misleading language or design to trick users into agreeing.
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Major mobile carriers, such as AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, collect customer data through their privacy policies, which often go unread by consumers.
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Carriers collect various data, including web browsing history, app usage, device location, demographic information, and more. Carriers also combine data collected from customers with information from external sources, such as credit reports, marketing mailing lists, and social media posts.
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They use this data to create models and inferences about customers’ interests and buying intentions, which they then share with advertisers for targeted advertising.
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Individuals can choose to opt out of data collection initiatives, utilize Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) to limit data accessibility, and change to alternate Domain Name System (DNS) servers to reduce the amount of data gathered.
It does. If you purchase a device from the carrier, it’s guaranteed to be preloaded with their apps. Verizon currently states
https://www.verizon.com/legal/notices/customer-agreement/
The solution is to get a phone from the manufacturer themselves. They don’t come with carrier bloat.
Agreed, though I might add that a number of manufacturers have been known to dabble in data brokerage as well.
It might sound paranoid, but Android is built around data collection, and in practice it’s just a feeding frenzy. The carrier, the manufacturer, the ad platforms, the advertisers, the app developers, everyone gets pieces of you and none take responsibility for the pieces the others take, since it’s outside the scope of their offering.
The best bet is a clean flash, Lineage or the like, and strictly open source apps. I’d encourage any user who can’t or won’t go through that process to stick to iOS. It’s not perfect but it has the best default privacy protections by a significant margin and the refurb market has many affordable units. Factory Android these days is a privacy nightmare.