Have you ever wondered about the auto-run for videos on FaceBook and just about every other website you ever visit? Even though you can turn off the function, but it takes a bit of digging to find the place to shut it off. It should be illegal for sites on the internet to have the auto-run function to begin with. It is not about capitalism, free trade or anything like that, it is about stealing from your data services, whether you are on you IPhone, IPad, or any mobile device. Once you pass over the video, it begins to play and of course that adds to the data that you use. You should have the choice as to whether to watch a video or an ad if you want to, not because companies make you!

Now some of us have unlimited data, but the auto-run also bogs down your internet connection. Not only is it used for everyday videos we watch, it is also on ads on the side. You go to a site and begin to read down a page and it loads slowly, then you begin to hear the ad play and you know you didn’t click on it. To me, that is data piracy! So, what can you do about it. With Dish Network internet, they have limits on how much data you can use, AT&T also has a limit (although with AT&T I was able to get unlimited years ago and I won’t change my plan) but as a friend told me the other day, his wife got her bill and showed an unusual amount of data used and he could not figure out how that happened, until I explained it to him. Now he is trying to look into the “data piracy” to see if that was the culprit, which I believe it is!

What I believe is, that there is a deal between the internet companies and data service providers to allow this to take place. Like AT&T, once you go over your limit, they automatically give you more data and then charge you an extra $10 on your next bill, and if you go over that amount, they do the same thing. So, is it a partnership between the two, or just coincidence? I don’t know, but I would imagine if there was an investigation that there would be some servers wiped clean again.

The companies will tell you there is a way to shut it off, but magically it always comes back on and you have to find the shut off again! That is not capitalism, that is not controlling what people sell, that is pure theft!

I am planning on doing something about this, but of course you know how things like this go, they say “We will look into it” and then nothing happens. Well, I don’t plan on being one of those people who says “what’s the use” and not do anything.

Answer the poll and then comment on this article and tell us your story on how your data is being stolen!