This Privacy Policy ("Policy") describes how Sprint Nextel will collect, access, use or disclose your personal information. It applies to all of our products, services, and web sites ("Services"). A few of our Services are covered by different privacy policies and in the event of a conflict between the two, the product or service specific policy governs. For example, we may have a separate policy or agreement for certain products, services or brands. We may also give you extra notices about your personal information. Your personal information is subject to U.S. law.
We collect personal information about you in various ways. We may also get information from other sources and may combine it with information we collect about you.
Information you give us. The personal information we collect includes information you give us such as name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, date of birth, social security number or other government identification number, demographics, activities, location information, and personal preferences. You may give us information in a variety of ways such as when you sign up for Services, communicate with customer care or register on sprint.com. Personal information does not include information that is not used to identify you including aggregate or anonymous information.
Information that we automatically collect. We automatically receive certain types of information whenever you use our Services. We may collect information about your device, your computer, and online activities. For example, we collect your device's and computer's IP address, the date and time of your access and the type of browser you use. We also collect information about your device's and computer's operating system, your location, and the Web site from which you came and then went and Web sites you visit on your device. We may link information we automatically collect with personal information, such as information you give us at registration or check out.
Information we collect when we provide you with Services includes when your wireless device is turned on, how your device is functioning, device signal strength, where it is located, what device you are using, what you have purchased with your device, how you are using it, and what sites you visit.
We may use systems or tools to follow your use of our Services, including using cookies, web beacons and other tracking mechanisms. For example, we allow collection by analytic service provider(s) of site click-stream and cookie data to help us track aggregate and individual use of our Services. We sometimes use cookies to enable features on our sites, like the ability to save your shopping cart or set preferences. Advertisers and advertising networks that serve ads on our sites may also use their own mechanisms, like cookies. These third party cookies are governed by the privacy policies of the entities placing the ads and are not subject to this Policy.
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We use your personal information for a variety of purposes, including providing you with Services. We use your personal information to do things like:
We may share information that is anonymized or in an aggregated form that does not directly identify you. We do not share your personal information with third parties other than as follows:
Service Providers. We may share personal information with third parties who perform services on our behalf.
Group Account Holders. We offer group accounts to business and government customers, family customers and other group account holders ("Group Accounts"). The account holder for Group Accounts is the entity or person that buys the service or product for its employees, family members or other authorized users. You (as the user of a device) may receive service, certain pricing, terms or other benefits through a Group Account with us. If so, we may share with that Group Account holder customer registration and other information related to your use of our services.
Other Third Parties with Your Consent. We may share information with other third parties with your consent. For example, you may agree to our sharing your information with other third parties to hear about their products and services. Use of the information you agree to share will be subject to those third parties' separate privacy policies.
Disclosures to Third Party Application and Service Providers. You may choose to use services and products offered by third parties through our Services or devices like third party applications. When you leave our network you may also use mobile roaming services provided by third parties. Your use of such services and applications may result in these third parties collecting your personal information and obtaining information from Sprint, including location information (when applicable). You may also choose to give personal information directly to third parties when using our Services. In each case, personal information you give a third party will be subject to its terms, conditions, and policies—not this policy. You should review a third party’s privacy policy and terms of service before providing your information or using the service.
Business Transfers. Personal information about you may be disclosed as part of any merger, acquisition, sale of company assets or transition of service to another provider. In the unlikely event of an insolvency, bankruptcy or receivership, personal information may also be transferred as a business asset.
Protection of Sprint Nextel and Others. We may access, monitor, use or disclose your personal information or communications to do things like:
When you visit our website, we collect information about your online activities and use that information to deliver advertising or communications tailored to your interests. We may also share that information with third parties who help us deliver tailored advertising. For more information, see our Privacy Policy.
To find out more about targeted advertising and/or to "opt out" of automatic collection of information for this purpose, visit http://www.aboutads.info/choices/
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We maintain a variety of physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards. These safeguards help protect your personal information from loss, misuse and unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration and destruction. You can learn more about how you can protect your information by reviewing our privacy FAQs.
Sprint is committed to providing the best wireless broadband Internet access service experience possible for all of its customers. To ensure that all Sprint customers enjoy the best possible network experience, Sprint uses reasonable network management practices that are consistent with industry standards. Sprint also prohibits certain wireless data customers from engaging in certain data uses. Information concerning these prohibited uses can be found in our point-of-sale materials and online in our Important Service Terms located at sprint.com.
The following Frequently Asked Questions are intended to help clarify for Sprint’s retail customers what Sprint means by network management and explain Sprint’s (and its providers’) network management techniques and approaches.
Sprint manages its network with the goal of delivering the best possible wireless broadband Internet access experience to all of its customers. Wireless network resources are not infinite. Managing the network is essential to promote the use and enjoyment of wireless data by all of our customers. We use reasonable network management practices that are consistent with industry standards. Just as the Internet continues to change and evolve, so too, will our network management practices to address the challenges and threats on the Internet.
If Sprint didn’t manage its network, our customers would be subject to the negative effects of spam, viruses, security attacks, network congestion, and other risks and degradations of the service. By engaging in reasonable and responsible network management, Sprint can deliver the best possible broadband Internet access experience to all of its customers.
Sprint uses various tools and techniques to manage its network, deliver its service and ensure compliance with its prohibited network use and related requirements, which are available in Sprint point-of-sale materials and online at sprint.com/termsandcondtions. These tools and techniques are dynamic, like the Sprint network and its usage, and Sprint may update the tools and techniques it uses. Sprint’s network management activities may include identifying spam and preventing its delivery to customers, detecting malicious Internet traffic and preventing the distribution of viruses or other harmful code or content, and using other tools and techniques to deliver the best possible broadband Internet experience to all of its customers.
Yes. The wireless industry is highly dynamic. As the Internet and related technologies continue to evolve and advance, Sprint’s network management tools will evolve and keep pace to allow Sprint to deliver an excellent, reliable and safer online experience to all of our customers. We will provide updates here and in other appropriate locations if we make important or significant changes to our network management techniques that impact customers.
Network bandwidth isn’t infinite. In times of network congestion, the network segment or sector impacted doesn’t have enough bandwidth to fully serve all customers requesting it. The network is designed to dynamically allocate available bandwidth in a way that is fair to all users. The fairness algorithms below describe the approach. The resulting impact to end user experience is that the user may temporarily experience slower-than-normal data speeds until the congestion has passed.
Sprint is continually upgrading networks. These network upgrades may include revised or improved tools and techniques to manage network congestion and ensure that all users have appropriate access to the network in times of congestion.
No. However, Sprint’s terms and conditions prohibit some uses of Internet access. Sprint reserves the right to take action when customers violate these terms and conditions including blocking the traffic, slowing the customer’s effective data speeds, or discontinuing a customer’s service. Below is the prohibit data use portion of the terms and conditions:
Sprint data services are provided solely for purposes of web surfing, sending and receiving email, photographs and other similar messaging activities, and the noncontinuous streaming of videos, downloading of files or online gaming. P2P and other uses that may adversely affect our network are not permitted on Sprint’s network. Our wireless broadband Internet access services may not be used: (i) to generate excessive amounts of Internet traffic through the continuous, unattended streaming, downloading or uploading of videos or other files or to operate hosting services including, but not limited to, web or gaming hosting; (ii) to maintain continuous active network connections to the Internet, such as through a web camera or machine-to-machine connections that do not involve active participation by a person; (iii) to disrupt email use by others using automated or manual routines, including, but not limited to “auto-responders” or cancel bots or other similar routines; (iv) to transmit or facilitate any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, telemarketing, promotional materials, “junk mail,” unsolicited commercial or bulk email, or fax; (v) for activities adversely affecting the ability of other people or systems to use either Sprint’s wireless services or other parties’ Internet-based resources, including, but not limited to, “denial of service” (DoS) attacks against another network host or individual user; (vi) for an activity that connects any device to Personal Computers (including without limitation, laptops), or other equipment for the purpose of transmitting wireless data over the network (unless customer is using a plan designated for such usage); or (vi) for any other reason that, in our sole discretion violates our policy of providing service for individual use.
Most customers will notice no change in their wireless data experience due to Sprint’s congestion management. If a user notices it at all, congestion management will be experienced as a slowness of data speeds compared to their normal experience. The goal of congestion management is to enable all users to have access to a fair share of the network at peak times, when congestion occasionally occurs.
Because of the peaked nature of wireless data traffic, congestion management software is actively looking for network congestion at all times. When it detects congestion, the fairness algorithms described above allocate available bandwidth to the users requesting services in an attempt to provide the best possible service to all users and to ensure that no user is starved of bandwidth.
Sprint monitors how user traffic is affected by congestion management and makes adjustments as reasonably necessary to ensure that our wireless data users have a high-quality wireless broadband Internet access experience. Sprint also evaluates its overall network performance and enhances its network by adding capacity or making other network adjustments to address congestion and performance issues.
Since congestion management is dynamic and works in real time, the answer depends on a number of factors including overall usage, time of day, and the number of customers trying to use wireless data on a given tower. First, the local tower must be approaching a congested state before congestion management algorithms activate. On Sprint’s 3G CDMA network, the proportional fairness scheduler algorithm ensures no one user is deprived of network resources.
On the Sprint 4G WiMAX network, when a user is consuming high amounts of bandwidth and the overall bandwidth being used on that network segment or sector is being used at high levels, Sprint 4G customers experience a temporary adjustment in available network resources until the conditions for network congestion have passed. Just as on our 3G network, users during peak congestion might find certain high data usage applications, such as streaming video, could be temporarily interrupted to ensure that other users have access to the network.
The point of the technique is to deliver the best overall online experience possible. The technique should help ensure that all customers get their fair share of bandwidth resources to enjoy all that the Internet has to offer and that includes surfing the web, reading email, downloading movies, watching streaming video, gaming or listening to music.
In general, users won’t know when congestion management algorithms are being used. Wireless networks are shared resource networks meaning that customers on a specific cell site share the available bandwidth at the site. Congestion management algorithms are active in the network 100 percent of the time to allocate available bandwidth to users in a way that benefits all users on the network.
Yes.
They are two separate issues. Congestion management works to optimize the experience of all users in the congested area. It works independent of any caps or overage charges that may apply based on the user’s price plan and monthly usage.
No. They are treated just like any other data application on the network and traffic from these applications is subject to the same congestion management controls as any other Internet traffic.
No. Sprint strives to deliver to its customers access to all the lawful , legitimate and non-infringing content that the Internet has to offer. However, we are committed to protecting customers from spam, phishing and other unwanted or harmful online content and activities. Sprint uses industry standard tools and generally accepted best practices and policies to help it meet this customer commitment. In cases where these tools and policies identify certain online content as harmful and unwanted, such as spam or phishing websites, this content is usually prevented from reaching customers. In other cases, these tools and policies may permit customers to identify certain content that is not clearly harmful or unwanted, such as bulk email or websites with questionable security ratings, and enable those customers to inspect the content further if they want to do so.
Yes. Sprint uses normal industry security practices to protect the Sprint network elements from unauthorized access and attack.
Yes. Only Sprint-approved devices may be used on the Sprint network.
We offer you choices regarding how we contact you for marketing related communications and whether we use information regarding your online activities for marketing purposes. Visit sprint.com/privacy to learn about ways to register your privacy preferences with us. You may also register a do not contact requests by calling customer care or sending an email to officeofprivacy@sprint.com. If you register a do-not-contact request, we may still contact you for non-promotional purposes, such as emails about your accounts or our ongoing business relations. If you disable cookies on your Internet browser, you also may stop some collection and use of data when you visit our web sites. If you would like to change certain Sprint account information, you may create an online account and manage your account online. For more information, visit www.sprint.com.
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If you have any questions about, or complaints that concern, this Policy, please call us at Sprint Nextel or email us at officeofprivacy@sprint.com. If you prefer, you may also write us at Office of Privacy -Legal Department, Sprint Nextel, P.O. Box 4600, Reston, Virginia 20195. To send us a legal notice relating to this Policy, send it to Our Legal Notices Address listed in, and by the method specified in, the Acceptable Use Policy.
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We may change this Policy at any time. When we change the Policy we will give notice by changing the date it was last updated or as required by law.
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We collect personal information about you in various ways. We may also get information from other sources and may combine it with information we collect about you.
Sprint Nextel shares personal information between Sprint Nextel affiliates and marketing agents for marketing purposes. We do not share your personal information with unaffiliated third parties for their own independent marketing purposes without your consent. California residents may request the categories of personal information Sprint Nextel shared with its affiliates during the previous calendar year. To make your request, send an email to officeofprivacy@sprint.com. Written requests may be sent to the Office of Privacy -Legal Department, Sprint Nextel, P.O. Box 4600 Reston, VA 20195. Sprint Nextel will respond to these requests within 30 days. Requests that come to Sprint Nextel by other means may result in a delayed response.
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