Ponemon Institute survey shows consumers rank AT&T among leaders in protecting personal information

DALLAS, Feb. 25 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- AT&T* today announced it has been named a Most Trusted Company in Privacy by Ponemon Institute, an information security research company.  AT&T ranked No. 20 in Ponemon Institute's nationwide survey of more than 99,000 U.S. adults in Q4 2009.

For the fifth consecutive year, the Ponemon Institute asked adult-aged respondents from the U.S. to list up to five companies in various industry sectors that they trusted for honoring their privacy commitments.  Survey participants were asked to consider the protection of their personal information.

"We are honored to be recognized as a most trusted company in privacy," said Dorothy Attwood, AT&T senior vice president for public policy and chief privacy officer.  "At AT&T, privacy commitments are fundamental to the way we do business every day, and we use powerful security safeguards to protect customer data."

In June 2009, AT&T unveiled its new, unified privacy policy, which replaced 17 separate privacy policies for various AT&T companies, products or services.  The overhauled privacy policy reflects direct feedback from consumers.  AT&T asked customers about privacy issues and incorporated their feedback into our privacy commitments.  Before it went into effect, AT&T offered customers a 45-day preview of the updated privacy policy, answering questions, and making clarifications to policy language.

As a result, the privacy policy is easier to find – centralized at att.com/privacy, and linked from every page on att.com – and easier to read, streamlining 37,000+ words in the original policies to approximately 8,000 words.  In addition, AT&T added short videos to illustrate important key concepts from the privacy policy.

"Our research shows that consumers value companies and brands they can trust," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder, Ponemon Institute.  "Consumers told us they value companies that protect privacy and safeguard personal information.  We commend AT&T for the recognition among consumers that it is a Most Trusted Company in Privacy."

For more information on the 2010 Most Trusted Companies for Privacy list, visit http://www.ponemon.org.

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

About AT&T

AT&T Inc. (NYSE: T) is a premier communications holding company. Its subsidiaries and affiliates – AT&T operating companies – are the providers of AT&T services in the United States and around the world. With a powerful array of network resources that includes the nation's fastest 3G network, AT&T is a leading provider of wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services. AT&T offers the best wireless coverage worldwide, offering the most wireless phones that work in the most countries. It also offers advanced TV services under the AT&T U-verse(SM) and AT&T |DIRECTV(SM) brands. The company's suite of IP-based business communications services is one of the most advanced in the world. In domestic markets, AT&T's Yellow Pages and YELLOWPAGES.COM organizations are known for their leadership in directory publishing and advertising sales. In 2009, AT&T again ranked No. 1 in the telecommunications industry on FORTUNE® magazine's list of the World's Most Admired Companies. Additional information about AT&T Inc. and the products and services provided by AT&T subsidiaries and affiliates is available at http://www.att.com.

© 2010 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. 3G service not available in all areas. AT&T, the AT&T logo and all other marks contained herein are trademarks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

SOURCE AT&T Inc.

Back to top

RELATED LINKS
http://www.att.com
http://www.ponemon.org