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Verizon

Flagged · Avoid

The largest U.S. wireless carrier — and one of the most aggressive at monetizing customers through hidden fees, surveillance cooperation, and throttled service.

Last updated May 4, 2026

Reasons to avoid

Issues span:PrivacyHuman RightsOther
  1. The FCC fined Verizon $46.9 million in 2024 for illegally selling access to customers' real-time location data to 67 third-party entities without obtaining customer consent.fcc.gov2024-04-29
  2. Settled a $100 million class action lawsuit in 2024 over a hidden "Administrative and Telco Recovery Charge" that grew from 40 cents to $3.30 per line without adequate disclosure — while admitting no wrongdoing and warning customers the fee would likely rise again.mouseprint.org2024-01-08
  3. After settling that lawsuit, Verizon raised the same hidden administrative fee again in late 2024 — an 80% increase over two years — buried in billing fine print and not announced directly to customers.androidpolice.com2024-12-04
  4. The Salt Typhoon hackers gained access by exploiting the surveillance backdoors Verizon maintains to comply with government wiretapping law (CALEA). The Electronic Frontier Foundation warned this would happen: backdoors built for law enforcement can always be turned against users.eff.org2024-10-14

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