AT&T’s privacy plan may be short-lived and may not even be as bad as we think

AT&T hit a nerve with its privacy-eroding Internet Preferences Plan, which lets customers surf the web at gigabit speeds but also lets the telecom giant see what sites they visit in order to serve up relevant ads. AT&T’s plan may be short-lived, however, if the FCC takes action under its new neutrality rules and, in any case, AT&T may catch less of your web surfing than you fear.

If you’re unfamiliar, the issue arose back in December of 2013 when AT&T launched its GigaPower service in Austin with a footnote in its press release noting that in exchange for giving up their privacy, AT&T gives subscribers a $29 discount. That’s now how AT&T sells its GigaPower plan, which is currently offered in Austin, Texas and Kansas City, Kansas.

But AT&T’s sales pitch deserves a bit more scrutiny. First, the idea that gigabit service should come with a privacy clause that you must opt-into by paying…