AT&T Charging Extra For Private Web Browsing

(RTTNews) - Users of AT&T's gigabit-per-second Internet service will have to pay an extra $29 a month to avoid being tracked about their browsing.

The gigabit Internet service, costing $70 a month, was launched by AT&T in Austin, Texas, in 2013, and was introduced recently in Kansas City, Missouri.

But the service is subject to tracking by AT&T, causing inconvenience to users who want privacy for their browsing, and this comes with an additional cost, which is in contrast to many companies that provide privacy at no charge.

Privacy has been a thorny issue, with companies and the federal government harangued about the way in which user information has been shared.

That apart, user protests erupted after businesses like AT&T and Verizon sold customers' mobile browsing data to advertisers with the aid of hidden and entrenched tracking codes in customers' devices.

AT&T, despite its annoyance over new net neutrality regulations, has been seeking ways to expand its fiber roll-out program.

Besides the $70 gigabit service, AT&T also offers a gigabit Internet and TV bundle (with HBO) that costs $120 per month for the first three years.