At a glance

We only share with vetted institutions for public and scientific research purposes. T-Mobile will control access to what data is shared.

Your participation is voluntary and we won’t include you in this program unless you opt in.

There’s no data that directly identifies you in the data we share.

How and when we share

T-Mobile is launching a new effort in 2023 that, with your help, will allow researchers access to data from customers who have given their consent.

When we receive a research request to share data, we’ll review the request to ensure the research purpose is aligned with T-Mobile’s company values, including to provide access to connectivity and technology, and to build stronger, healthier, and more equitable communities. We’ll also assess the request to ensure that it’s from a reputable organization, such as an academic institution or public interest organization. T-Mobile won’t share data with law enforcement under this program. Law enforcement demands will continue to go through our Legal and Emergency Response process.

If a researcher or researching institution is given T-Mobile data under this program, the access will be controlled and shared under an agreement with strict requirements about how the data can be used. For example, the agreement will ensure the researcher is only permitted to use the data for the approved research purpose and for no other purpose. They will also be required to delete or return the data when it’s no longer needed for the specific research project. It will also describe things like how the data is handled and how it must be kept secured.

What data we may share

Phone data

Your device identifiers, usage data, and call data, including times.

Location data

Location data based on cellular usage.

Demographic data

Data you provide to us about yourself such as age, gender, etc.

How we protect your data

To protect your privacy, when you opt in for individual level sharing, we’ll only share data that identifies you to the extent required for the research purpose. For example, we won’t use your name—we’ll assign a unique identifier that includes data about you such as a string of letters and numbers. If you allow us to share data in an aggregate manner, we’ll share only statistics and percentages. This could include something like statistics about how many miles on average people from certain zip codes commute each day.

How to opt in and share your data for public and scientific research

Go to our Privacy Dashboard.
Review the description and settings under “Share data for public and scientific research.”
If you’d like your data to be shared for public or scientific research at an aggregate and/or individual level, set the toggle(s) to “ON” or magenta.
If you change your mind, you can turn the toggles back to “OFF” or gray at any time. Your preferences will be saved and honored immediately and will not be included in data sets after you change your preference.

Visit Privacy Dashboard

Important information

Your participation in public and scientific research is completely voluntary.
If you’ve designated a line as a Kids’ Line, you can’t opt that line into this program.
If you use a company-liable T-Mobile for Business or T-Mobile for Government device, your information will not be used for this program.

At a glance

How and when we share