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Google thinks opt-in is something you need to opt out of

81 points by yencabulator ↗ HN
I got an email from Google Fi yesterday:

> Notice about your CPNI settings

> [...] Starting today, we will opt you into the sharing with and use of your CPNI by Alphabet affiliates to receive this information. Your opt in will go into effect 30 days from the date you receive this email.

> You’re not required to stay opted in. It’s your right and our duty under federal law to protect the confidentiality of your CPNI. If you prefer to opt out of letting Fi use and share your CPNI with Alphabet and Google services, you can do so by replying here or via Fi’s privacy and security settings at any time (instructions here). Opting out of CPNI sharing won’t affect your account or your ability to use any of Google Fi Wireless’ services. If you do not choose to opt-out within 30 days of receiving this notice, Fi will assume your approval to share your CPNI with other Google services and our affiliates.

Dear Google, https://www.google.com/search?q=opt-in

12 comments

[ 2.3 ms ] story [ 43.8 ms ] thread
catchnear4321
you can opt out of the auto opt-in. hence “being opted in.” a decision is being made on your behalf. they chose for you.

put less confusingly, “yes” is the new default value being set, and you can say that’s not your choice, either before it is set or after.

if you think the language in that email wasn’t overthought before it went out, you’re kidding yourself.

gardenfelder
It's amazing to me that the big G has the cajones to add advertising to something I already pay for.

Where will this madness end?

MathMonkeyMan
Why wouldn't they? It's free money. And they control the technology.

People pay for cable television, and for New York cab rides, and for many other things laden with advertisements.

Obscurity4340
That's the problem with Google: even when you're the customer, they can't stop treating you like the product to be vivisected and distributed amongst the lowest bidders.
junon
Meh, doesn't surprise me. Google Fi was a shady, clunky, horrible service when I had them with the most abrasive and hostile support staff.
solardev
Really?? My experience has been the total opposite.

Coming from T-mobile (with terrible outsourced support with hours long waits) and AT&T (totally incompetent bureaucracy with misleading offers) and Verizon (generally decent, actually, but I wanted better data dnd tethering), Fi has been a godsend. The app makes setup and configuration super easy, and is much easier to use (and way less spammy) than the big carrier apps. The calls and data worked flawlessly in the few countries I've tried so far (five or so). The support answers in a minute or two and has been supremely helpful every single time, to the degree I wonder how they can afford to train and empower staff so well (who ever thought THAT about support). The data policies are supremely fair, between generous tethering, free data SIMs, and international usage.

I've never been happier on a carrier, and I'm trying to switch all my friends and family over. It's such an incredible service compared to the big crappy carriers.

The one downside I've seen so far is that sometimes when you're out of reception for a while (common in the mountains), when you come back you have to manually download group texts (because they are MMS) before they will show up in the right threads with Google Messages. Annoying but not the end of the world.

JohnFen
There seems to be an increasing trend for companies calling opt-out as "opt-in" lately. I wonder if some PR company is behind it.

For me, companies that do this are just outing themselves as incorrigible liars.

VoodooJuJu
Don't care what Google thinks, only what a court thinks, and the courts should be protecting me from these scoundrels.