AT&T TO THROTTLE TOP DATA USERS

AT&T has stated they will begin to throttle the top 5% of data users down to 2G (whatever that is) speeds. Users will be notified via text message. The text message states "Your data usage is among the top 5 percent of users. Data speeds for the rest of your current bill cycle may be reduced.”

It’s unknown how much data you must consume to make it into the 5 percent affected by the throttling; however, AT&T has made it clear in the past that this move should only effect jailbreakers on unlimited plans who are using tethering hacks to get around subscribing to AT&T’s official tethering plan.

SPRINT DUMPING UNLIMITED HOTSPOT PLAN

We'd heard rumblings that unlimited data for Sprint's mobile hotspot plan was going the way of the dodo, but come November folks, it'll be official. Data sent and received over tethering -- not smartphone usage -- will now be measured against a 5GB cap. The same applies to mobile broadband subscribers, who will lose "unlimited" WiMax, instead having all their bits counting towards 3GB, 5GB or 10GB buckets (as seen above). Going over your allotment in either plan naturally incurs overages, which could get pricey at 5 cents per MB, and worst of all, existing unlimited plans won't be grandfathered in.

CARRIERS TO ALERT CONSUMERS TO IMPENDING OVERAGES

The nation's wireless providers have announced a deal with consumer groups and the Federal Communications Commission that will set up a system to alert customers to overage fees. The FCC had been set to announce new rules to combat so-called "bill shock", which it introduced last year. Under the terms of the deal, the wireless carriers agreed to set up a system to alert customers to voice, data, text, and roaming overages. Two of those four must be in place within a year, and the entire system ready within 18 months.

In return, the FCC would suspend its own efforts to pass new regulations. Both groups believe that the system will be implemented well before the deadline. "These alerts will give consumers the information they need to save money on their monthly wireless bills", FCC chairman Julius Genachowski says in prepared remarks. "Consistent with the FCC's ongoing efforts, these actions harness technology to empower consumers, and ensure consumers get a fair shake, not bill shock".

While the FCC is allowing the industry to self-regulate, it would keep its own efforts open in case carriers fail to act. CTIA president and CEO Steve Largent said the process of getting the system set up would not be easy, and would take some time to implement.

Many carriers already offer overage alerts, but only on an opt-in basis. The deal would require that the system become opt-out.

VERIZON TWEAKS PRIVACY POLICY, STARTS SHARING LOCATION AND OTHER GOODIES WITH ADVERTISERS

Verizon Wireless began alerting its customers of changes to its official privacy policy on Friday. The carrier confirmed it will now use information for “private business and marketing reports” and “making mobile ads more relevant.” Verizon Wireless will share the URL of websites you visit, the location of your device, as well as app and device feature usage. It will also share information on data and calling features and your demographic so that it, and outside firms, can create reports and target ads more efficiently.

Verizon did say, however, that it will not share any information that will identify its customers personally. “Protecting data and safeguarding privacy are high priorities at Verizon,” the company said in a statement to BGR. Instead, the information will be used to generate reports that may, for example, state that 5,000 of its customers visited ESPN during any given month and 89% were men.

“A local restaurant may want to advertise only to people who live within 10 miles, and we might help deliver that ad on a website without sharing information that identifies you personally,” Verizon Wireless explained in the notice.

If you are worried by the changes, you can stop Verizon Wireless from collecting your personal information by visiting http://www.vzw.com/myprivacy.

AT&T TO THROTTLE SMARTPHONE DATA

AT&T said on Friday that it will begin throttling unlimited smartphone data plans as of October 1st. “Like other wireless companies, we’re taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data,” AT&T said Friday in a statement. The carrier continued, “One new measure is a step that may reduce the data throughput speed experienced by a very small minority of smartphone customers who are on unlimited plans – those whose extraordinary level of data usage puts them in the top 5 percent of our heaviest data users in a billing period. In fact, these customers on average use 12 times more data than the average of all other smartphone data customers.” AT&T was very careful to mention, repeatedly, that the new move will not impact the “vast majority” of its customers. According to the carrier’s statement, only the top 5% of its smartphone data users will be affected.

ORANGE UK OFFERS 3MB ROAMING OPTION FOR TRAVLERS

No longer are Orange UK subscribers chained to absurd per-MB roaming charges or unnecessary monthly plans. Instead, they can shell out £3-a-day (about $5) for 30MB of data -- which is plenty for checking e-mail and doing some light browsing. If you don't use any data then you don't get charged, but go over that limit and you're back to the normal £3.07-per-MB rate.

It's a perfect option for the traveler who only spends a week or two abroad at a time, and it closes the gap with fellow UK provider Vodafone, which offers a £2-per-day, 25MB option. Now, if only others (especially our friends here in the US) would offer sensible roaming plans of their own.

RUMOR: 3G iPOD TOUCH LAUNCHING IN SEPTEMBER

A Dutch Apple blog named AppleSpot[translated] reported on Friday that Apple will launch a new 3G iPod touch in September. Similar to options available for the iPad Wi-Fi + 3G, users would have the option of purchasing the 3G iPod touch directly from a wireless carrier with a data plan. We’re expecting a possible iPod/iPhone/iPad refresh in September, and so it’s entirely possible that Apple is considering creating a version with a 3G radio. Such a device could also help carriers lock in more data plans and would continue to boost Apple’s presence among the flood of new Android handsets.

Our only gripe with the whole story is that AppleSpot doesn’t have a proven track record reporting on Apple rumors. Plus, a 3G iPod touch would be just a little weird given that we expect every major U.S. wireless carrier to announce the next generation iPhone. Also, Apple has a tradition of themeing their launches and the iPod Touch would fall in line with their music themed launch along with iTunes.

LULZSEC LEAVES BEHIND ONE LAST PARTING SHOT WITH MALWARE, TROJANS AND VIRII

The small group of hackers known as Lulz Security, or simply “LulzSec,” would never disband without one final round of fun. BGR reported on Monday that the group’s reign of terror was coming to an end after 50 lul-filled days. During that period of time, LulzSec released data stolen in a series of online breaches with targets ranging from Sony to the U.S. Government.

In its coup de grâce, LulzSec released a stash of stolen data from a variety of targets, including AT&T, Disney and the U.S. Navy. But data obtained through online breaches wasn’t the only thing LulzSec stuffed into the file; a directory named “BootableUSB” also contained a variety of malware including trojans and worms. While “LulzSec” is no more and its notorious Twitter account now sits dormant, members of the well-known hacktivism group “Anonymous Operations” have confirmed that LulzSec is gone in name only — the six LulzSec members have been absorbed by Anonymous, according to the group’s official Twitter feed.

LULZSEC CALLS IT QUITS

After 50 days of wreaking cyber-caper havoc, Lulz Security says it's done and will sail into the horizon. The group has stolen mountains of personal data in a dozen different hacks, embarrassing law enforcement on both sides of the Atlantic while boasting about the stunts online.

The group's disbandment comes unexpectedly, and could be a sign of nerves in the face of law enforcement investigations. Rival hackers have also joined in the hunt, releasing information they say could point to the identities of the six-member group. One of the group's six members was interviewed by The Associated Press on Friday, and gave no indication that its work was ending.

LulzSec made its name by defacing the site of the U.S. Public Broadcasting Service, or PBS, with an article claiming that rapper Tupac Shakur was still alive. It has since claimed hacks on major entertainment companies, FBI partner organizations, a pornography website and the Arizona Department of Public Safety, whose documents were leaked to the Web late Thursday.

The hacking group stated "For the past 50 days we've been disrupting and exposing corporations, governments, often the general population itself, and quite possibly everything in between, just because we could," the LulzSec statement said. "All to selflessly entertain others — vanity, fame, recognition, all of these things are shadowed by our desire for that which we all love. The raw, uninterrupted, chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy. While we are responsible for everything that The Lulz Boat is, we are not tied to this identity permanently. The breeze is fresh and the sun is setting, so now we head for the horizon."

As a parting shot, LulzSec released a grab-bag of documents and login information apparently gleaned from gaming websites and corporate servers. The largest group of documents — 338 files — appears to be internal documents from AT&T Inc., detailing its buildout of a new wireless broadband network in the U.S. The network is set to go live this summer. An AT&T spokesman could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the documents.

RUMOR: VERIZON WIRELESS TIERED DATA PLANS COMING JULY 7TH

Verizon Wireless will finally be shifting to the usage-based data plan structure we all knew was coming. Android enthusiast blog Droid Life on Monday reports that future Verizon subscribers will no longer have an unlimited smartphone data option starting July 7th. Instead, they will be forced to choose one of three tiered data options: 2GB for $30 per month, 5GB for $50 per month or 10GB for $80 per month. Those looking for tethering will have to add $20 to each of those plans, which works out to 4GB for $50 per month, 7GB for $70 per month or 12GB for $100 per month. Overages on any plan will run $10 per gigabyte.

According to the report, Verizon will charge the same rates for 3G and 4G LTE data plans, so subscribers interested in newer 4G smartphones will not have to worry about paying a premium for data, as they might elsewhere — which is a good thing, considering these plans are already a bit pricey. Current Verizon customers will not be forced to switch to a new plan.

While Verizon has not confirmed the new plans or exact timing, a Verizon Wireless spokesperson did have this to say: “As we have stated previously, Verizon Wireless is making some minor changes to data plans including those for new smartphone customers. We will move to a more usage based model in July.”

APPLE ISSUES OFFICIAL STATEMENT ABOUT LOCATION TRACKING

Apple has finally broken its silence over the the location tracking database found on iPhones and iPads running iOS 4 and higher. The company states that it never has and never plans to track users iDevices and the purpose of the database file in question — consolidated.db — is to “help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested.” The company said a software update will become available in the next few weeks that will limit the size of and encrypt the location database file. The official statement is below.

Apple Q&A on Location Data

CUPERTINO, Calif.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Apple would like to respond to the questions we have recently received about the gathering and use of location information by our devices.

1. Why is Apple tracking the location of my iPhone?
Apple is not tracking the location of your iPhone. Apple has never done so and has no plans to ever do so.

2. Then why is everyone so concerned about this?
Providing mobile users with fast and accurate location information while preserving their security and privacy has raised some very complex technical issues which are hard to communicate in a soundbite. Users are confused, partly because the creators of this new technology (including Apple) have not provided enough education about these issues to date.

3. Why is my iPhone logging my location?
The iPhone is not logging your location. Rather, it’s maintaining a database of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers around your current location, some of which may be located more than one hundred miles away from your iPhone, to help your iPhone rapidly and accurately calculate its location when requested. Calculating a phone’s location using just GPS satellite data can take up to several minutes. iPhone can reduce this time to just a few seconds by using Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data to quickly find GPS satellites, and even triangulate its location using just Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data when GPS is not available (such as indoors or in basements). These calculations are performed live on the iPhone using a crowd-sourced database of Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data that is generated by tens of millions of iPhones sending the geo-tagged locations of nearby Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers in an anonymous and encrypted form to Apple.

4. Is this crowd-sourced database stored on the iPhone?
The entire crowd-sourced database is too big to store on an iPhone, so we download an appropriate subset (cache) onto each iPhone. This cache is protected but not encrypted, and is backed up in iTunes whenever you back up your iPhone. The backup is encrypted or not, depending on the user settings in iTunes. The location data that researchers are seeing on the iPhone is not the past or present location of the iPhone, but rather the locations of Wi-Fi hotspots and cell towers surrounding the iPhone’s location, which can be more than one hundred miles away from the iPhone. We plan to cease backing up this cache in a software update coming soon (see Software Update section below).

5. Can Apple locate me based on my geo-tagged Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
No. This data is sent to Apple in an anonymous and encrypted form. Apple cannot identify the source of this data.

6. People have identified up to a year’s worth of location data being stored on the iPhone. Why does my iPhone need so much data in order to assist it in finding my location today?
This data is not the iPhone’s location data-it is a subset (cache) of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database which is downloaded from Apple into the iPhone to assist the iPhone in rapidly and accurately calculating location. The reason the iPhone stores so much data is a bug we uncovered and plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below). We don’t think the iPhone needs to store more than seven days of this data.

7. When I turn off Location Services, why does my iPhone sometimes continue updating its Wi-Fi and cell tower data from Apple’s crowd-sourced database?
It shouldn’t. This is a bug, which we plan to fix shortly (see Software Update section below).

8. What other location data is Apple collecting from the iPhone besides crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower data?
Apple is now collecting anonymous traffic data to build a crowd-sourced traffic database with the goal of providing iPhone users an improved traffic service in the next couple of years.

9. Does Apple currently provide any data collected from iPhones to third parties?
We provide anonymous crash logs from users that have opted in to third-party developers to help them debug their apps. Our iAds advertising system can use location as a factor in targeting ads. Location is not shared with any third party or ad unless the user explicitly approves giving the current location to the current ad (for example, to request the ad locate the Target store nearest them).

10. Does Apple believe that personal information security and privacy are important?
Yes, we strongly do. For example, iPhone was the first to ask users to give their permission for each and every app that wanted to use location. Apple will continue to be one of the leaders in strengthening personal information security and privacy.

Software Update

Sometime in the next few weeks Apple will release a free iOS software update that:

reduces the size of the crowd-sourced Wi-Fi hotspot and cell tower database cached on the iPhone,
ceases backing up this cache, and
deletes this cache entirely when Location Services is turned off.
In the next major iOS software release the cache will also be encrypted on the iPhone

APPLE DOESN'T TRACK ANYONE ACCORDING TO STEVE JOBS

In what is purported to be an email exchange with Apple CEO Steve Jobs, a MacRumors reader sent in the following:

Q: Steve,
Could you please explain the necessity of the passive location-tracking tool embedded in my iPhone? It’s kind of unnerving knowing that my exact location is being recorded at all times. Maybe you could shed some light on this for me before I switch to a Droid. They don’t track me.

A: Oh yes they do. We don’t track anyone. The info circulating around is false.

Sent from my iPhone

What’s not clear is whether or not Jobs was indicating that stored location data isn’t actually being sent back to Apple, and is instead only stored locally on the device and in iOS backup files created by iTunes. What is clear according to Jobs, however, is that Android is tracking customer’s location (and more) right out of the box. There are reports that the location recording issue in iOS 4 will be fixed in a software update and was a bug as opposed to a deliberate attempt to collect data.

VERIZON TO INTRODUCE TIERED DATA PLANS MID-SUMMER

Verizon Wireless has been saying for quite some time now that their $30 unlimited data plan was unsustainable and they would be investigating moving to tiered data. According to Fran Shammo, Verizon Wireless CFO, at the Morgan Stanley conference, the new data plans would debut in mid-summer.

Verizon started down the tiered road with its $15/150MB option, which quickly disappeared when their version of the iPhone launched. Shammo went on to say Verizon is still working through the details and that they don't yet know whether the tiers will be based on speed, bit buckets, or some combination of the two.

GOOGLE UPDATES SOCIAL SEARCH DATA WITH TWITTER, YOUTUBE AND FACEBOOK INFO

Google first rolled out their Social Search feature back in 2009, but they’ve just announced a substantial update that will more fully integrate your social search results into normal search results. Now when you view a search results page, your search results will be annotated if they have been shared or liked by your friends… and your search results will even be directly influenced now by how many of your friends have shared and linked a given page.

This is very different than the way Google Social Search used to work: back in 2009 when they service first launched, social results were placed down at the bottom of the page and mainly showed results friends had shared and linked through their Google profiles, a la Google Reader.

Now, however, Google’s plucking their social search data from a bigger ecosystem that includes Twitter, Flickr and YouTube. If someone you’re connected to on any of these sites has shared a link, that link may now show up higher in your results, with an annotation made by that person showing up right beneath the results.

“With these changes, we want to help you find the most relevant information possible, personalized to your interests and the people you care about,” says Google.

The new update will begin rolling out to users today, although it’ll start just in Google’s English results, and it might take a week for you to start seeing your friends’ social sharing habits popping up in your search results.

Needless to say, the new Social Search will only work if Google knows who you are by searching after you’ve logged into your Google account.

VERIZON CONFIRMS VoLTE FOR NEXT GEN NETWORK

Verizon has confirmed to CNN that it will utilize Voice Over LTE (VoLTE) for its next generation voice network. The company is expected to make a public announcement, and host demonstrations, at next week’s Mobile World Congress. In the future, Verizon hopes to route all voice and video calls, text messages, and data packets over its LTE network.

“Calls between VoLTE-equipped smart phones will sound better,” notes Verizon. “The ‘high-definition’ audio fidelity will be a major selling point.”

The report also notes that VoLTE will allow simultaneous voice and data usage — a capability currently unavailable to most CDMA handsets. Verizon declined to comment on how it plans to price and roll-out VoLTE, but we’re sure it will be a slow transition. [BGR]

VERIZON WIRELESS LAUNCHES NEW THROTTLING SYSTEM

Verizon Wireless is launching a new network management and throttling system today. The company says that these practices include caching less data, using less capacity, and sizing video content "more appropriately" for smartphones. But according to the memo, the new system (which not coincidentally arrives with Verizon's launch of the iPhone) also involves throttling data throughput using a new "proactive management" system that Verizon claims will only impact the top 5% of wireless broadband users:

Verizon Wireless strives to provide customers the best experience when using our network, a shared resource among tens of millions of customers. To help achieve this, if you use an extraordinary amount of data and fall within the top 5% of Verizon Wireless data users we may reduce your data throughput speeds periodically for the remainder of your then current and immediately following billing cycle to ensure high quality network performance for other users at locations and times of peak demand. Our proactive management of the Verizon Wireless network is designed to ensure that the remaining 95% of data customers aren't negatively affected by the inordinate data consumption of just a few users.

Unfortunately, Verizon doesn't specify what kind of consumption you need to be guilty of to find your connection throttled. [BGR]

AT&T SUED FOR iPHONE AND iPAD DATA BILLING

BGRis reporting a lawsuit has been filed in in a federal court in California alleging that AT&T regularly and purposely overcharges iPhone and iPad customers on capped data plans by inflating the amount of data they download to their devices. The complainant, Patrick Hendricks, says that AT&T adds “phantom traffic” to its invoices in order to overcharge users. “AT&T’s billing system for iPhone and iPad data transactions is like a rigged gas pump that charges for a full gallon when it pumps only nine-tenths of a gallon into your car’s tank,” the complaint alleges. Hendricks’ lawyers hired a consulting firm to investigate the matter, and it apparently determined that AT&T regularly balloons data activity by between 7% and 14% — adding that the carrier sometimes overstates data totals by as much as 300%. AT&T said it would fight the lawsuit “vigorously” in a statement to Computerworld.

WINDOWS PHONE 7 DATA LEAKER REVEALED

We have previously reported on the mysterious data leaking app on the new Windows Phone 7 OS. Microsoft was able to identify the offending app, but kept mum on what the app actually was. We now know it is Yahoo Mail. According to a statement obtained by Microsoft guru Paul Thurrott, a fix is expected in the "coming weeks," but in the interim, you can mitigate the pain by going into settings and choosing less taxing options for "Download new content" and "Download email from" -- say, for example, "manually" and "the last 7 days," respectively.

Now you know and knowing is half the battle!

VERIZON iPHONE DATA PLAN & HOTSPOT PRICING ANNOUNCED; $200 FOR AT&T USERS

When Verizon announced they would be carrying Apple's iPhone, they also stated the purchase price. The last piece of the puzzle has now been put in place with the announcement of data plan costs. As expected Verizon is keeping their existing plan in place for now. The current plan, required for all smartphones, is the $30/month unlimited data plan.

The key words of Verizon's statement are "for now". When a customer purchases an iPhone (or any smartphone) with the associated data plan they will be able to keep that plan during their contract period. Once the contract ends AND the customer purchases a new device, the customer will need to subscribe to a data plan available during that time. With the launch of their LTE 4G phones coming soon, it is highly expected Verizon will move away from the all you can eat for one price model and shift to tiered data plans.

The cost of using the Verizon iPhone as a hotspot for up to 5 devices will be $20/month which gets you 2GB of data allowance. This is on top of the $30/month unlimited data plan. The hotspot plan is optional, while the data plan is not

In addition to the data plan announcement, Verizon also stated that any AT&T customer turning in their i Phone will get $200 for it which can be applied to a Verizon phone.

RUMOR: SPEED AND DATA TIERS COMING TO AT&T 4G LTE SERVICE

BGR is reporting that AT&T may be bring not only data plan tiers when they launch their 4G LTE service in 2011, but also speed tiers as well.

Just like broadband internet, AT&T plans on delivering varying speeds to users depending on the tier they subscribe to.

Data tiers are nothing new and have recently been implemented by most major carriers. AT&T will let users subscribe to "data buckets" of varying sizes similar to AT&T's current data plans.

In addition, the plans will afford users the opportunity to boost services temporarily for a fee. The documents BGR obtained refer to "Top Up Sessions", which allow users to increase their data allotment for the remainder of a billing cycle, and “Speed Up Sessions,” which will allow subscribers on lower-tier plans to speed up their service for a specific duration.

It is not known what the tiers will look like or the associated price of them, but we do know the trials will begin in May of this year.