T‑Mobile recently rolled out two new switches in its “Privacy Center,” both enabled by default—and that’s raising eyebrows among customers. 

According to The Mobile Report, these options let the carrier share your info in ways you might not expect.

One toggle is labeled “Fraud and identity theft protection.” On paper, it sounds helpful—T‑Mobile says it will flag unusual activity, like sudden changes in contact info or calls that don’t match your normal patterns, and share that with your bank to help fight fraud. 

But while the goal seems positive, few details are given about exactly which companies get access or what measures keep that data safe.

The other toggle digs deeper into your wallet. It allows T‑Mobile to share things like your payment history, whether you’re financing a phone, and your current balance. 

By default, this info is shared not just with financial institutions, but with affiliates aimed at joint marketing efforts. That means your billing habits might be advertised behind the scenes unless you opt out.

If this feels shady, you’re not alone. On forums like Reddit and Lemmy, users are warning each other to turn off both switches line by line. One Redditor put it bluntly:

“On meaning that TMO is currently sharing your data/info—again—without your consent… log-in and opt out of both options.” 

So how do you regain control? The Mobile Report walks through the steps: 

• Open the T Life app (or do it via web)
• Head to “Privacy Center” under Settings
• Look for these new options in the dashboard. 

Keep in mind: they’re set per line, so if your account has multiple phones, you’ll need to repeat the process for each.

This isn’t T‑Mobile’s first time hiding questionable settings behind legalese. About a year ago, they introduced an “AI profiling” toggle (also on by default) for analyzing your behavior, requiring manual opt-out per line. The concern is the same: customers aren’t informed, but the defaults are flipped in the carrier’s favor.

T-Mobile’s Privacy Center does provide a central hub for all this, and at least it’s easy to find once you know where to look. But hidden-by-default settings that share personal and financial data (no matter how benignly worded) aren’t easy to swallow. If you value privacy, don’t assume anything is off; you’ll need to take action yourself.

Source: The Mobile Report