Does O2 monitor our calls and texts for marketing?

[owenb]

Today I passed my driving test. Literally two hours later, after texting and calling a few people to let them know, O2 emailed me an offer for car insurance.

I have never been offered this before, or any other car-related service from O2.

I am deeply suspicious. Is O2 monitoring the content of our calls and texts for marketing or is this just the biggest coincidence ever?

[MI5 · Accepted solution]

@owenb 

Congratulations on passing

It's just a coincidence as it is illegal to moniter calls and texts without a court order.

You can change your marketing preferences in your MyO2 if you don't wish to receive communications like this from O2 or 3rd party companies.

[jonsie]

That's taking coincidence a little too far in my opinion. I wonder if this has happened to anyone else. But yes, change your preferences in My O2.

[pgn]

More likely to have come from 2 angles:

You e-mailed or face booked your news to someone, or

Details were harvested from your browser cookies where you accessed the on-line Driver Licensing site. 

As pointed out above, harvesting from your SMS and tapping your phone are strictly forbidden, much red tape for this to happen.