opt-out | Dangerous Common Sense

LinkedIn Lets Me Opt Out

Last week I complained that LinkedIn’s new privacy policy lets them use your image and name for their ads and the opt-out links didn’t work. I sent LinkedIn email on Friday telling them their opt-out system didn’t work. I didn’t hear anything, so Tuesday I wrote a letter to their legal department, and sent it to their legal notification address yesterday.

Today, I received a straight-forward response from a paralegal at LinkedIn giving me a different opt-out link that works. I’ve updated my account, and I think you can use the same link for your LinkedIn account.

Of course, It really should not take so much effort to opt-out. Certainly it should require spending $5-something to send their attorneys a certified complaint.

From: [paralegal]
Sent: Thursday, July 07, 2011 2:13 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Opting out of Social Ads on LinkedIn (re: your letter of 7/5/11)

Dear Mr. Workman,

LinkedIn received your letter regarding problems opting out of having your name, picture and other personal information used in our advertising.

The link to the opt-out that you cited in your letter is a little different than the URL I’m seeing when I click through the policy from the link at the bottom of our main page: https://www.linkedin.com/settings/?tab=account&modal=nsettings-social-advertising. Please give that one a try, as it should take you to a login screen and then straight to the “Manage Social Advertising” box, which looks like a pop-up.

If you are still having problems, you can also access the opt-out by logging into your account, clicking on the “Settings” drop down (under your name at the top right corner of the screen) and then selecting the “Account” tab at the bottom left. The first selection under the Privacy Controls heading is “Manage Social Advertising,” and clicking on that will bring up the box where you can opt out.

We appreciate that you took the time to write and call this to our attention. I don’t know why the link in your letter is different than the one I got when I clicked through the policy, but I will share your letter and the problematic links with our product team to see if they can reproduce what you experienced and repair any bugs they find.

Regards,
[LinkedIn]

AT&T Requires Opt-Out Contracts

I act as the Director of Marketing for one of my consulting clients, and every year about this time AT&T calls about their “Real” Yellow Page ad. The protocol is that the sales rep sells, we agree on a package for the next 12 months, and then the sales rep calls a recording number so that my agreement to the proposal is formalized.

old phone Today’s ritual went okay until we were together on the recording device. The sales rep started reading the boilerplate contract which I would agree to at the end of his spiel.

But, wait a minute! In his rapid-fire speech I heard some new wording, something like, “This contract is for 12 months and will automatically renew unless the client notifies AT&T in writing that the client wishes to Opt-out of renewal.”

I stopped him.

We have to opt-out in writing?? Huh?

I said that the rep and I had only talked about a contract for the next year. I was happy to commit my client’s firm for a one-year period, but I the term had to end in 12 months. AT&T could sell to us again next year, if they wanted, but I didn’t want it to be our responsibility to talk to them next year before the renewal date.

At first the rep assured me that my agreement would only cover the next 12 months — apparently he wasn’t listening to himself, though. Otherwise, he was being untruthful. At any event, when I said into the taped line that I was happy to authorize the service for 12 months but for no further, the rep said he would have to check with someone on his end.

When he came back on the line he said that he could not alter the wording and we would have to accept automatic renewal. I replied that we couldn’t place the ad now with automatic renewal, and unpleasantness ensued. (Him: “You’re telling me don’t want your ad to continue after November, 2009?” Me: “No, I am not saying that. Please do not put words in my mouth. I am not able to commit for period longer than 12 months.” Him: “You’re telling me want your ad to stop this November?” Me: …)

The bottom line is that I did not commit my client to a renewal of the ad. Their ad will stop in November. And, my client is okay with it.

The AT&T online ad costs $105/month and, even according to AT&T’s own stats, only 6 people clicked on the ad in the month of July. That’s $17.50 a web visitor. Moreover, nobody has told my client all year that they found my client on AT&T real Yellow Pages.

But, what a cautionary tale! It sure makes me wonder if AT&T doubts the value of its own service: can’t it stand an annual customer review of the online Yellow Pages’ cost effectiveness?