public company

AT&T

A public telecom and broadband company selling mobile, fiber, internet, devices, and business connectivity. AT&T provides necessary infrastructure but has concentrated telecom power, recurring-plan lock-in, location-data enforcement history, and serious data-breach exposure.

Why this matters: AT&T is one of the core alternatives customers compare when choosing mobile and home internet service.

Letter grade F Malignant Medium confidence (AI) Rubric gcd-rubric-v1 Last reviewed May 11, 2026

Final Score -9* F - Malignant

FMALIGNANT-9 pts

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

Base Material11

Bonus+0

Cap35Ownership <= 2 and Governance <= 2

After Cap11

Penalties-20

Private Government badge

AT&T receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $2.8M on public policy issues.

Evidence: [9]

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Evaluation Overview

F - Malignant

The score turns mainly on Product Integrity, with the largest penalty coming from Policy Capture.

Strengths

Product Integrity3/5
Ownership1/10
Governance1/10

Penalties

Policy Capture-6
Surveillance Capture-5
Human Harm-3
Subscription Capture-3

Evidence state

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)
ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)
Linked claims9
Direct axis claims8
Coverage8/15

Scoring Axes

Axis	Score	Why this score
Ownership ? Control rights: shareholder-dominated at 0, worker cooperative control at 10.	1 / 10	AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. That keeps AT&T low on Ownership: decisive control remains with shareholders, private owners, executives, or state insiders rather than affected people. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. [1]
Governance ? Binding decision authority: centralized control at 0, democratic stakeholder control at 10.	1 / 10	AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. Linked evidence context AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. [2] context AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. [1] context The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. [3] context AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. [4] context AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. [5] context AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. [6]
Extraction ? Surplus allocation, wage share, CEO pay ratio, margins, and structured extraction judgment.	1 / 10	AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. Linked evidence context AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. [2] context AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. [1] context The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. [3] context AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. [4] context AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. [5] context AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. [6]
Labor Sovereignty ? Worker power: coercive conditions at 0, co-determination or ownership at 7. Employee dissatisfaction matters only when source-backed evidence shows concrete limits on worker agency, such as coercive scheduling, retaliation, wage theft, harassment, unsafe conditions, suppression of worker voice, or extreme turnover.	1 / 7	AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. Linked evidence context AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. [2] context AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. [1] context The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. [3] context AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. [4] context AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. [5] context AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. [6]
Solidarity with the Unemployed ? Treatment of exits and nonworkers, including severance, redeployment, and non-competes.	1 / 7	AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. That keeps AT&T low on Solidarity with the Unemployed: the model provides little protection for people who leave, are excluded, or cannot bargain from employment. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence context AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. [2] context AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. [1] context The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. [3] context AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. [4] context AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. [5] context AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. [6]
Loss-Bearing Fidelity ? Willingness to absorb costs to preserve values, workers, users, and public obligations.	1 / 7	AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. That keeps AT&T low on Loss-Bearing Fidelity: losses, hazards, or adjustment costs are routinely pushed onto workers, customers, suppliers, communities, or the public. The value is above zero only where the linked record still shows some real function, constraint, or public value on this axis. Linked evidence context AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. [2] context AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. [1] context The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. [3] context AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. [4] context AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. [5] context AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. [6]
Market Conduct ? Pricing fairness, switching costs, lock-in, and rent extraction.	1 / 5	AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. Linked evidence context AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. [2] context AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. [1] context The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. [3] context AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. [4] context AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. [5] context AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. [6]
Product Integrity ? Preservation of quality rather than degradation for monetization.	3 / 5	AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. That places AT&T in the middle of Product Integrity: the product has real use value but is compromised by incentives, monetization, lock-in, quality degradation, or risk. The value stays below the top tier because the linked record does not show full democratic control, non-extractive lock-in, or complete stakeholder protection on this axis. Linked evidence AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. [2]
Scale Integrity ? Whether growth improves or degrades fairness and accountability.	1 / 5	AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. Linked evidence context AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises. [2] context AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled. [1] context The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. [3] context AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. [4] context AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. [5] context AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. [6]

Penalties

Penalty	Applied	Why this penalty
Human Harm ? Severity, scale, culpability, vulnerable targets, willful reoffense, reputation laundering, pattern escalation, and time decay. Range: -20 to 0.	-3	AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. That warrants a limited Human Harm penalty because ordinary operation, documented misconduct, or institutional power creates serious injury, deprivation, abuse, or foreseeable human damage. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record. [4]
Policy Capture ? Private-interest attempts to bend law, regulation, subsidies, taxes, enforcement, trade, labor, safety, competition, environmental, healthcare, housing, surveillance, civil-liberties, or consumer policy against workers, customers, citizens, affected communities, or ecological life. Public-interest advocacy is not penalized merely because it is lobbying. Range: -15 to 0.	-6	OpenLobby records AT&T SERVICES, INC. (FKA AT&T) lobbying on tax, communications, consumer product safety, technology, manufacturing with about $2.8M in spending across 34 filings; the… OpenLobby records AT&T SERVICES, INC. (FKA AT&T) lobbying on tax, communications, consumer product safety, technology, manufacturing with about $2.8M in spending across 34 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. That warrants a substantial Policy Capture penalty because private institutional pressure is being applied to public rules while affected people cannot democratically govern that agenda. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Linked evidence OpenLobby records AT&T SERVICES, INC. (FKA AT&T) lobbying on tax, communications, consumer product safety, technology, manufacturing with about $2.8M in spending across 34 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role. [8]
Subscription Capture ? Manipulative recurring-payment, automatic-renewal, cancellation-friction, bundling, trial-conversion, or refund designs that profit from inertia or confusion. Range: -5 to 0.	-3	AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. That warrants a substantial Subscription Capture penalty because recurring-payment design profits from inertia, confusion, bundling, renewal friction, or cancellation difficulty. The value is substantial but not at the floor because the linked record shows serious conduct without the strongest aggravating factors on this axis. Linked evidence AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms. [5]
Accountability Opacity ? Material opacity, reputation laundering, or hidden accountability structures that prevent public accountability. Range: -2 to 0.	-2	AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. That warrants a severe Accountability Opacity penalty because material facts, risks, conflicts, ownership, or accountability information are obscured from the public. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Linked evidence AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase. [6]
Surveillance Capture ? Invasive surveillance, unreasonably non-optional tracking, facial recognition, biometric identification, or AI behavior scanning of customers, workers, bystanders, or the public. Range: -5 to 0.	-5	The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. That warrants a severe Surveillance Capture penalty because customers, workers, users, bystanders, or the public are exposed to invasive tracking, biometrics, or behavior scanning. The value is near the floor because the conduct appears central, large-scale, repeated, or institutionally powerful rather than incidental. Linked evidence The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards. [3]
Ideological Disavowal ? Concealed ideology presented as neutrality, expertise, professional necessity, public-service administration, market inevitability, or non-ideological common sense while exercising power. Range: -3 to 0.	-1	AT&T retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: it presents concentrated telecom pricing, location-data handling, network governance, and breach-risk tradeoffs as ordinary service administration rather than contested infrastructure power. AT&T retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: it presents concentrated telecom pricing, location-data handling, network governance, and breach-risk tradeoffs as ordinary service administration rather than contested infrastructure power. That warrants a limited Ideological Disavowal penalty because the institution presents situated, contested choices as neutrality, expertise, inevitability, safety, or common sense. The value is limited because the linked record shows a real problem but not one that dominates the profile on this axis. Linked evidence AT&T retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: it presents concentrated telecom pricing, location-data handling, network governance, and breach-risk tradeoffs as ordinary service administration rather than contested infrastructure power. [7]

Bonus Credits

No bonus credits applied in this version.

Confidence Basis

Confidence is computed from the evidence trail and review state, not typed into the profile by hand.

Medium 78/100

8 verified linked claims 8 direct axis claims 0 disputed claims 8/15 components covered

This confidence label measures the source-backed evidence trail. AI-scaffolded scores remain tentative until human review.

Claim confidence 19/20

8 verified linked claims

Source quality 15/18

Best source per verified claim, weighted by institutional reliability

Direct axis-specific claims 9/18

8 direct claims across 15 active components

Dispute load 12/12

0 disputed claims on this entity

Recency 10/10

Newest accepted timestamp: May 13, 2026

Reviewer status 7/12

Human-reviewed components score higher than AI scaffolding

Component coverage 5/10

8/15 evidence-bearing components have direct support

Evidence State

Profile stateAI draft / human-pending

VerificationUnverified

ConfidenceMedium confidence (AI)

ThoroughnessDeveloped (AI)

Correction routeUse “Challenge this rating” for factual errors, missing counterevidence, source problems, or calculation mistakes.

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Claims and Sources

Claims are the evidence record. Each claim needs a source link, axis category, status, confidence level, and timestamp before it can support a score.

* Tentative scaffolding score. Not human-checked or final.

1AT&T is a shareholder-governed public company, so formal control over telecom infrastructure is not customer-, worker-, or community-controlled.

Ownership Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

AT&T annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

2AT&T sells wireless, broadband, fiber, device, business, and network services to consumers and enterprises.

Product Integrity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

AT&T annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

3The FCC fined AT&T and other major carriers over selling access to customer location information without reasonable safeguards.

Surveillance Capture Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

FCC carrier location-data finesPrimary public record · 100%

4AT&T disclosed a large customer-data breach affecting call and text records, adding material consumer harm and safety risk to the privacy record.

Human Harm Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

AT&T data incident noticeOfficial self-description · 68%

5AT&T depends on recurring wireless, fiber, device-financing, and bundled-service relationships with switching friction and complex plan terms.

Subscription Capture Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

AT&T annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

6AT&T plan, fee, financing, privacy, breach, and location-data issues are difficult for ordinary customers to evaluate at the point of purchase.

Accountability Opacity Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

AT&T Privacy CenterOfficial self-description · 68%
FCC carrier location-data finesPrimary public record · 100%

7AT&T retains conduct relevant to the Ideological Disavowal penalty: it presents concentrated telecom pricing, location-data handling, network governance, and breach-risk tradeoffs as ordinary service administration rather than contested infrastructure power.

Ideological Disavowal Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

AT&T annual reportsPrimary institutional record · 90%

8OpenLobby records AT&T SERVICES, INC. (FKA AT&T) lobbying on tax, communications, consumer product safety, technology, manufacturing with about $2.8M in spending across 34 filings; the reviewed filings document private institutional lobbying over public rules rather than a public-interest advocacy role.

Policy Capture Verified High confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — AT&T SERVICES, INC. (FKA AT&T) lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

9AT&T receives the Private Government badge because it combines large-scale private rule-setting over customers, workers, users, members, or counterparties with OpenLobby-documented lobbying of about $2.8M on public policy issues.

Private Government Verified Medium confidence AI-generated / human-pending May 11, 2026

AI scaffold

OpenLobby — AT&T SERVICES, INC. (FKA AT&T) lobbying profileGeneral web source · 58%

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