Optus, Telstra Admit Making Customers’ Numbers Available For Partner Websites; Vodafone Not Into Such Practice

Optus, Australia’s second largest telco has admitted giving out its customers’ mobile phone numbers to mobile game websites and ringtone sellers, however, the company defends its practice saying that information has only be passed on to ‘trusted partners’, according to reports.

According to a report on The New Daily, An Optus customer had posted on consumer forum Whirlpool, when he started getting unsolicited text messages from game selling service Gamifive Mobivillage after he visited the webpage.

An Optus spokesperson had confirmed on June 24 that it is handing over its customers’ phone numbers to websites, reports ZDNet. "When consumers browse the internet, information about the device they're using is passed on to website owners in order to optimise websites for those users," the ZDNet report quoted the spokesperson, as saying. "Optus adds our customers' mobile number to the information in select circumstances where we have a commercial relationship with owners of particular websites," explains Optus spokesperson.

The spokesperson also stressed on numbers being sent to ‘trusted partners’ only and in such cases user authentication is required and it is used for the premium content services where billing is direct to Optus and to the My Optus app, as well, as per the ZDNet report. The publication also mentioned that the company’s privacy policy does not clearly reveal that customers’ mobile numbers may be given to third parties, but admits that some ‘personal information’ may be shared.

The customer’s phone number is added to HTTP headers as the data passes through the Optus network and the practice can be ceased as per the telco’s discretion, reports The New Daily.

The issue was first raised by Whirlpool user Sambot9000, who said that the practice breaches customer privacy. “The issue is that, with the aim of making direct carrier billing sales slightly easier, Optus fundamentally breach the privacy and security of all their customers by giving away your phone number,” The New Daily report quoted Whirlpool user Sambot9000, as saying.

Are other telcos into the same practice?

A day after Optus admitted its involvement in such practice, Australia’s largest telco Telstra too admitted that it hands over customers’ mobile phone number to certain websites without their consent, reports ZDNet.

"We only provide our customers' mobile numbers to a small number of our content partners to enable the customer to choose to receive the service and pay for it via the Telstra bill. We provide this information on the basis of legal terms in our partner contracts that help ensure the privacy of our customers," the ZDNet report quoted Telstra’s spokesperson as saying.

However, Vodafone confirmed ZDNet that it does not pass on its customers’ numbers to partner websites automatically. The company hands over customers’ numbers once a user agrees to terms and conditions for having a purchase added to their bill. As per the Vodafone spokesperson, the data is encrypted when passed onto the partner site, as per the ZDNet report.

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