TDS Telecom Privacy Policy

(Updated December 31, 2024)

1. Introduction

TDS Telecommunications LLC ("TDS", "we", "us" or "our") is dedicated to earning your trust by protecting your personal information. We encourage you to read this Privacy Policy carefully. It is designed to simply and transparently inform you about:

• What information we collect and from whom
• How we collect information
• How we use collected information
• How we share collected information
• How we protect collected information
• What are the rights for certain state residents
• How to choose how we contact you and how to contact us
• How we use Cookies (as defined in our Cookie Policy, below)

Scope

This Privacy Policy applies to TDS and any Affiliate with whom we share and/or collect information. "Affiliate" refers to any of the Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. owned family of companies. When capitalized herein, “Third Party” or "Third Parties" refers to entities such as agents, vendors, service providers, suppliers, subcontractors, or independent contractors that we have a business relationship with and who we may share information with. When we share your information with Third Parties, we require they maintain appropriate privacy and data security measures consistent with this Privacy Policy.

When you interact with us such as apply for, access, purchase, or use our products, services, applications and/or websites including apply for career opportunities (collectively or individually the "Services"), you agree to our collection, use and sharing of your information as described in this Privacy Policy.

Some products and services which are branded TDS or co-branded with a Third Party may have a stand-alone privacy policy. When a different privacy policy applies, TDS will provide you with an opportunity to review the applicable terms of service and privacy policy.

When you purchase or use products or services not provided by TDS, you are subject to the privacy policy provided by an independent third party. For example, while using your TDS broadband service, you may:

• Download, purchase, or use applications not provided by TDS.
• Post on social media or use other third-party sites.
• Purchase from an online retailer.

TDS is not responsible for the data practices of any independent third parties.

Changes to the Privacy Policy

TDS will review this Privacy Policy at least annually and may update it at any time. Please periodically refer back to this Privacy Policy to learn what changes, if any, have been made based on the posted “Updated” date found at the top of the Privacy Policy.

2. Information We Collect

Personal Information is information that identifies, relates to, describes, is reasonably capable of being associated with, or could reasonably be linked, directly or indirectly, with you, including your account and device information. Personal Information does not include anonymous, aggregated, or de-identified information that cannot personally identify you, your accounts or devices or public information lawfully available from governmental records. TDS uses anonymous, aggregated, and de-identified information to manage, protect and improve our network and Services; develop network work plans; conduct traffic flow analyses; investigate service issues; develop credit and fraud risk models; train our associates; and research new products, services, and applications. We also may develop analytical tools and methods to measure the effectiveness of marketing and advertising campaigns; develop promotions and offers; and analyze customers' usage patterns. We also may measure the performance of our Services within a specific geographic area.

We may use, sell, or share Personal Information for the purposes of cross-context behavioral advertising. To opt-out, please visit our State Consumer Privacy Choices page.

The following table provides a summary of Personal Information about you based on your use of and interaction with our Services and your business relationship with us or with our Third Parties. The table indicates:

• The categories of and representative examples of types of Personal Information we collect,
• The categories of sources from which Personal Information was collected,
• The business or commercial purpose for which Personal Information was collected, and
• The categories of third parties with whom TDS shares Personal Information.
  • "Affiliate" refers to any of the Telephone and Data Systems, Inc. owned family of companies.
  • When capitalized herein, “Third Party” or "Third Parties" refers to entities such as agents, vendors, service providers, suppliers, subcontractors, or independent contractors that we have a business relationship with and who we may share information with.
  • Some Third Parties have access to Personal Information necessary to support TDS business purposes and act on our behalf such as assisting with billing and collecting for our Services; assisting in operating our network; managing our platforms and websites; and fulfilling and distributing orders. These Third Parties are “Service Providers” and “Contractors” and are prohibited from using the information for any purpose other than those for which they are permitted by law, or they have contractually agreed to; and if they are processing your information, they have agreed to appropriate privacy and security provisions for the type of information shared.

Collection of Information About Children

Our Services are intended for general audiences. We do not knowingly collect information from children under the age of (13) thirteen. If you allow a child to use our Services, any information we collect associated with their usage will be treated as your account information in accordance with this Privacy Policy, and you hereby provide consent to such collection and use in accordance with this privacy notice.

3. Use & Retention

We may use the Personal Information we collect for the business reasons identified in Section 2. We may also use Personal Information if we have a good faith belief it is necessary to:

• Comply with the law.
• Protect our rights or property or those of others.
• Protect against fraud or data security vulnerabilities.
• Respond to fraud, abuse, or other unauthorized activity.
• Enforce our policies, including those contained in our Terms of Service, Internet Network Management Policy, and Acceptable Use Policy.
• Evaluate internal controls and audits for compliance, including those conducted by internal and external auditors.
• As a part of a sale or transfer of business operations to another company.

We retain Personal Information for as long as necessary to provide the products and fulfill the services and transactions you have requested or for other essential purposes such as complying with our legal obligations, resolving disputes, and enforcing our agreements. The criteria used to determine retention periods include: (i) how long Personal Information is needed to provide our products or operate our business; (ii) whether the Personal Information has been recognized as sensitive under applicable legal frameworks in a manner that requires particular treatment; and (iii) whether we are subject to a legal, contractual or similar obligation to retain the Personal Information.

4. Disclosure of your Personal Information

We will not disclose your Personal Information outside of TDS, its Affiliates, or Third Parties other than as described in this Privacy Policy unless we have your express or implied consent.

We may, however, disclose Personal Information and other information to Affiliates or Third Parties (i) to provide the Services you have requested; and (ii) for administrative, analytical, and marketing purposes as described in this Privacy Policy. We may also disclose Personal Information if we have a good faith belief it is necessary to:

• Comply with the law.
• Protect our rights or property or those of others.
• Protect against fraud or data security vulnerabilities.
• Respond to fraud, abuse, or other unauthorized activity.
• Enforce our policies, including those contained in our Terms of Service, Internet Network Management Policy, and Acceptable Use Policy.
• As necessary to external auditors.
• Transfer your information as a part of a sale or transfer of business operations to another company.

When you, as an account owner (parties who are financially responsible for an account), authorize others (“Authorized Parties”) to have access to your account including make inquiries regarding the account, receive information about the account, pay the bill, change the service plan and make other changes to the account, we honor your request and provide access to account information to Authorized Parties which may include Personal Information.

5. Special Service Specific Information

Telephone Service:

We may disclose customer information, including Personal Information, in connection with our Telephone service, for purposes such as providing directory service, Caller ID, and 911/E911. In using our Telephone services, your name and telephone number may be transmitted and displayed on a Caller ID device unless you have elected to block such information (Caller ID blocking may not prevent the display of your name and telephone number if you dial certain business numbers, 911 or toll-free 800, 888, 877, or 866 numbers.)

Our Telephone service customers can designate their listings as published, non-published or non-listed for published directories or for directory assistance services. To carry out your decision to have a published number, we share information with directory listing vendors. TDS cannot remove customer information from, or correct errors in customer names, addresses, or telephone numbers appearing in, or omitted from, directory lists until the next available publication of those directory lists. Further, we may have no control over information appearing in the directory lists or directory assistance services of directory publishers or directory assistance providers which are not owned by us. Because of the complexity of this process and the involvement of others, errors sometimes occur. If you elected to have your information published in directories, that information becomes public and may be used by others for their own marketing or to create marketing lists.

Internet Service:

When you purchase or use products or services not provided by TDS, you are subject to the privacy policy provided by an independent third party. For example, while using your TDS Internet service, you may download, purchase, or use applications not provided by TDS; post on social media or use other third-party sites; or purchase from an online retailer. TDS is not responsible for the data practices of those independent third parties.

We encourage you to secure the device through which you access the Internet, as well as the devices which provide connectivity, particularly wireless (Wi-Fi) routers. Doing so can help keep the information you transmit through your broadband connection from being monitored while in transit on the Internet or on your network. Security measures may include password-protected wireless devices, installation of firewalls, antivirus protection with regular updates, regularly checking for and applying security patches for software and operating systems. Despite our best efforts, TDS cannot guarantee the security of our network, nor can we guarantee that information you supply will not be intercepted while being transmitted to TDS over the Internet.

TDS TV+:

Please see our TDS TV Privacy Policy.

6. Protecting Your Information

TDS has implemented reasonable security safeguards to protect against such risks as loss, unauthorized access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure of information. TDS uses a variety of commercially reasonable and appropriate safeguards to protect information residing on its systems including, without limitation, server firewalls and physical facility security.

We restrict access to information to those who need to know that information in order to operate, develop or improve our Services. These individuals are bound by confidentiality obligations and may be subject to discipline, including termination and criminal prosecution, if they fail to meet these obligations. We also have appropriate practices and procedures designed to protect your information. We train our employees on the proper handling and securing of information which includes reporting potential privacy concerns.

We will not store your Personal Information beyond what is necessary for business purposes, including for internal service evaluation and quality assurance purposes, except as otherwise required by law.

We cannot prevent every unauthorized attempt to access information. If you suspect an issue with access to your information, please contact us by calling 1-888-225-5837.

7. Privacy Rights

Accessing Your Information

TDS takes reasonable measures to assure you that the information we collect, use and share is accurate, complete, and current. We make good faith efforts to provide you with access to your information to allow you to correct inaccuracies your request, unless the law or legitimate business reasons require otherwise. Account Owners and Authorized Parties who wish to review or change their Personal Information may do so by contacting us.

Account Owners and their Authorized Parties are required to have their own PIN and security questions/answers for account protection. When Account Owners or their Authorized Parties contact us via phone, they may be asked to provide their PIN or answer security questions, so that we may authenticate them before we respond to their questions or change their Personal Information. Similarly, Account Owners and their Authorized Parties may be asked to present a valid government issued photo ID in our business offices for authentication purposes before we respond to their questions or change their Personal Information. Account Owners and Authorized Parties should not provide account information, their PIN or online password to others.

We are not required to process requests for information that are unreasonably repetitive or systematic, require disproportionate technical effort, jeopardize the privacy of others, or may be extremely impractical (for instance, requests concerning information residing on backup tapes), or for which access is not otherwise required. In cases in which we provide information access and correction, we perform this service free of charge, except if doing so would require a disproportionate effort.

Controlling Unsolicited E-Mail (“Spam”)

TDS is concerned about controlling unsolicited e-mail or "spam." Although TDS continues to actively review and implement new technology to help prevent this activity, there is no currently available technology that will permit TDS to totally prevent the sending and receiving of unsolicited e-mail. Using junk e-mail tools and being cautious about the sharing of your e-mail address while online may help reduce the amount of unsolicited e-mail you receive. For more information about this and other related topics go to the Federal Trade Commission's website at onguardonline.gov.

State Consumer Privacy Rights

California:

The California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (“CCPA”) and the California Privacy Rights Act (“CPRA”) provide current California residents with specific rights regarding their personal information as defined by those acts.

Please visit our California Residents rights page for more information on your rights, links to an easy to fill out form that you may use to exercise your rights, how we will verify your identity, and when to expect a response. at: privacy@tdstelecom.com.

As mentioned below in Section 9, we may allow third parties to place and read Cookies on your devices when you access our websites, applications or advertisements and collect the preferences you demonstrate when interacting with them. We may also share information with digital advertising vendors to facilitate displaying advertisements on unaffiliated websites. These third parties may use the collected information to provide targeted advertising, which is advertising that may be of interest to you when you are on other websites or applications, generate advertising leads, or conduct marketing surveys. You may opt-out of this sharing with digital advertising vendors.

Further, the CCPA and CPRA defines a “sale” as the exchange of personal data with a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration. TDS does not disclose personal information in exchange for money. However, some Cookies used on website disclose your personal information to website analytics providers for the purpose of improving the functionality of our website, which could be considered a “sale” given the broad wording of the definition.

Shine the Light. California Civil Code Section 1798.83, also known as the “Shine The Light” law, permits California residents to annually request, free of charge, information about the Personal Information (if any) disclosed to third parties for direct marketing purposes in the preceding calendar year. If you are a California resident and would like to make such a request, please submit your request in writing to: TDS Telecom, Attn: Legal Dept., 525 Junction Road, Madison, WI 53717.

Maine:

The 2019 Maine Act to Protect the Privacy of Online Consumer Information ("Maine Privacy Act”) provides current Maine residents with certain rights regarding their personal information as defined by the Maine Privacy Act (“Maine PII”) when purchasing consumer broadband internet access service. This applies to individuals only, not commercial customers.

Please visit our Maine Residents Privacy Rights page for more information.

New Hampshire:

The New Hampshire Privacy Act (“NHPA”) provides New Hampshire residents with specific rights regarding their personal information as defined by state law (“NH PI”). Residents have the right to be informed about the categories of NH PI that TDS collects and processes; the purpose of collecting and using NH PI; what NH PI we have shared; and the categories of third parties with whom NH PI has been shared. This information is shared above in Section 2. We also respect the rights of New Hampshire residents to exercise other rights.

Please visit our New Hampshire Residents Privacy Rights page for more information on your rights, links to an easy to fill out form that you may use to exercise your rights, how we will verify your identity, and when to expect a response. New Hampshire residents may also direct NHPA specific questions via email to TDS at: privacy@tdstelecom.com.

As mentioned below in Section 9, we may allow third parties to place and read Cookies on your devices when you access our websites, applications or advertisements and collect the preferences you demonstrate when interacting with them. We may also share information with digital advertising vendors to facilitate displaying advertisements on unaffiliated websites. These third parties may use the collected information to provide targeted advertising, which is advertising that may be of interest to you when you are on other websites or applications, generate advertising leads, or conduct marketing surveys. You may opt-out of this sharing with digital advertising vendors.

Further, the NHPA defines a “sale” as the exchange of personal data with a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration. TDS does not disclose NH PI in exchange for money. However, some Cookies used on website disclose your personal information to website analytics providers for the purpose of improving the functionality of our website, which could be considered a “sale” given the broad wording of the definition.

If you would like to opt-out of the use of the Cookies, please refer to our Cookie policy below in Section 9. If you would like to opt-out of information sharing with digital advertising vendors, please visit our Oregon Residents Privacy rights page to exercise you right to limit our use of your NH PI.

The NHPA defines “profiling” as the automated processing of personal data for the purpose of evaluating, analyzing, or predicting a consumer’s economic circumstances, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location, or movements and allows residents to opt-out of profiling when used to produce legal or similarly significant effects. TDS does not engage in profiling for these purposes.

Oregon:

The Oregon Consumer Privacy Act (“OCPA”) provides Oregon residents with specific rights regarding their personal information as defined by state law (“OR PI”). Residents have the right to be informed about the categories of OR PI that TDS collects and processes; the purpose of collecting and using OR PI; what OR PI we have shared; and the categories of third parties with whom OR PI has been shared. This information is shared above in Section 2. We also respect the rights of Oregon residents to exercise other rights.

Please visit our Oregon Residents Privacy Rights page for more information on your rights, links to an easy to fill out form that you may use to exercise your rights, how we will verify your identity, and when to expect a response. Oregon residents may also direct OCPA-specific questions via email to TDS at: privacy@tdstelecom.com.

As mentioned below in Section 9, we may allow third parties to place and read Cookies on your devices when you access our websites, applications or advertisements and collect the preferences you demonstrate when interacting with them. We may also share information with digital advertising vendors to facilitate displaying advertisements on unaffiliated websites. These third parties may use the collected information to provide targeted advertising, which is advertising that may be of interest to you when you are on other websites or applications, generate advertising leads, or conduct marketing surveys.

Further, the OCPA defines a “sale” as the exchange of personal data with a third party for monetary or other valuable consideration. TDS does not disclose OR PI in exchange for money. However, some Cookies used on website disclose your personal information to website analytics providers for the purpose of improving the functionality of our website, which could be considered a “sale” given the broad wording of the definition.

If you would like to opt-out of the use of the Cookies, please refer to our Cookie policy below in Section 9. If you would like to opt-out of information sharing with digital advertising vendors, please visit our Oregon Residents Privacy rights page to exercise you right to limit our use of your OR-PI.

The OCPA defines “profiling” as the automated processing of personal data for the purpose of evaluating, analyzing, or predicting a consumer’s economic circumstances, health, personal preferences, interests, reliability, behavior, location, or movements and allows residents to opt-out of profiling when used to produce legal or similarly significant effects. TDS does not engage in profiling for these purposes.

Right to Non-Discrimination

TDS does not discriminate against you for exercising any of your privacy rights set forth above. If you exercise your rights, we will not:

• Deny you goods or services;
• Charge you different prices or rates for goods or services, including through granting discounts or other benefits, or imposing penalties;
• Provide you a different level or quality of goods or services;
• Suggest that you may receive a different price or rate for goods or services or a different level or quality of goods or services; or
• Discriminate on employment related decisions.

8. Communicating With TDS

Questions and comments about this Privacy Policy may be directed to:

TDS Telecom
Attn: Legal Dept.
525 Junction Road
Madison, WI 53717

To opt-out of receiving marketing communications from TDS, TDS customers may make this request via email to webcontact@tdstelecom.com or by mail to:

TDS Telecom
Attn: Legal Dept.
525 Junction Road
Madison, WI 53717

To exercise your rights under California or Oregon law, please see State Consumer Privacy Rights Section above.

To manage Cookies, please see the information in the next section.

9. Cookie Policy

TTDS uses cookies, web beacons, pixels, and other tracking technology including third-party cookies (collectively "Cookies") to deliver, monitor and improve our websites, applications or emails and display relevant content. This Cookie Policy describes the information we collect through Cookies, how we use it and how you can manage your Cookie Preferences.

This Cookie Policy applies to TDS websites, emails, and applications (collectively "Online Services"). By continuing to access or use our Online Services, you agree to our use of Cookies. TDS uses Cookies on our Online Services and any device which interacts with our Online Services will receive them. TDS also works with Third Parties to place TDS advertisements on their websites and place Cookies in your browser when you visit their websites.

What Are Cookies?

A Cookie is a small text file sent to and stored on your computer or other internet connected device to identify your browser or store information. A first party Cookie is set up by the website being visited by the user. A third party Cookie is set up by a domain that is not the entity hosting the website. Cookies are widely used to make websites work, work in a more efficient way, and identify and track users.

Why Do We Use Cookies?

TDS and our Third Parties may use Cookies on our Online Services to improve our Services and provide you with the best possible web experience. We may use Cookies in order to identify you; provide relevant, interest-based advertising; remember your preferences; secure your access; know when content has been shown to you; provide aggregated auditing, research, and reporting for advertisers; understand and improve our Online Services; and detect and defend against fraud and other risks. When we send you an email, we may use Cookies to understand if you have accessed the information provided in the email. We may combine information collected through the Cookies with your Personal Information in order to provide you a personalized experience including advertising about products and services you may find of interest. The information we collect from Cookies also may allow us to identify you across devices, such as smartphones, tablets, computers, or related browsers.

TDS may allow Third Parties to place their Cookies on our websites or within our advertisements. And your web browser may request advertisements directly from independent third party advertising network servers which do not have a business relationship with us. These advertisements may place Cookies that can view, edit, or set third party tag technology, just as if you had requested a web page from the third-party site. TDS is not responsible for the practices including the use of Cookies, employed by third party websites, mobile applications or online services linked to or from TDS Services, or for the content contained therein.

Third party websites, mobile applications, and online services that you are able to access on the Internet are outside the control or limits of this Privacy Policy.

How Can I Manage My Cookie Preferences?

To provide you with the best possible experience with our Online Services, we use different types of Cookies. We categorize these Cookies into the following types:

• Essential Cookies: These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but this may cause the site to not work correctly or not work at all.
• Performance Cookies: These cookies allow us to count, track, and analyze visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site.
• Functional Cookies: These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalization. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
• Targeting Cookies: These cookies are used to deliver targeted advertising. They allow us and third parties to track your activity across websites to display advertisements, offers, and recommendations for products and services that may be more relevant to your interests. If you disable these cookies, you will still receive advertisements, however they may be less relevant to you.

If you wish to opt-out of Cookies, please see the banner that appears on TDS pages to opt-out or click on the cookie icon the appears on the bottom of TDS pages. If this banner is not appearing for you, please clear your cache. To do so, please follow the instructions provided by your browser which are usually located within the “Help,” “Tools,” or “Edit” menus. Choices made in the banner take effect immediately and without confirmation or correspondence from TDS.

How Can I Stop My Internet Browser From Tracking My Information?

Most browsers accept Cookies by default. Depending upon your computer and mobile devices, you may be able to set your browser to control Cookies on your computer and mobile devices. If you do not want to receive Cookies, you may adjust your browser's settings to reject or delete Cookies. To do so, please follow the instructions provided by your browser, which are usually located within the “Help,” “Tools,” or “Edit” menus. Deleting or rejecting Cookies may impact your ability to effectively interact with our Online Services, third party websites or advertisements or otherwise limit your experience, including your ability to find pricing and availability of products and services in your area.

Some web browsers and browser extensions permit you to broadcast the Global Privacy Control signal (“GPC Signal”) as specified globalprivacycontrol.org. Our Websites are designed to honor the GPC Signal, and we may limit the Personal Data or other information we collect and how we use your Personal Data or other information based upon whether such a signal is transmitted by your browser or device and received by us.

International Residents

Our services are intended for residents of the United States. Should we collect personal information from you it will be transferred to the United States where our websites are hosted. Your Personal Data will be processed and stored in the United States and federal, state, and local governments, courts, or law enforcement or regulatory agencies in the United States may be able to obtain disclosure of your information through the laws of the United States. You hereby consent to the transfer of your Personal Information to the United States as described in this Privacy Policy. Please do not use our websites if you do not agree to the transfer and processing of your Personal Information in the United States, which may not provide the same level of protection for your data as your home country.