Not Cool!
Corporate double speak
by Autisticgeek on May.17, 2008, under Information Tech., Not Cool!
Charter communications has partnered with NebuAd, which pays ISPs to let it install a monitoring box on their networks to sniff customer traffic http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/05/theres-no-optin.htm
What you need to know is that there is a cookie based opt-out, but the only way to access the cookie is from a NebuAd server. Which translates to injecting ads into existing pages (replacing the sites ads with their own) or the opt-out is never confirmed and they can resell the profile information to anyone they want to even if you did opt-out. Both options are bad for consumers.
Think of it this way, if they resell the info, any entity can purchase it. Now I do not download movies or music, but my son is really into watching episodes of various shows via Youtube. I admit, in the past I’ve looked up The Daily Show’s clips regarding Alaskan Senator Ted “Tubes” Stevens on Youtube, but since TDS added a search feature I haven’t needed to. But imagine if NetbuAD resold the info to the RIAA/MPAA. This purchased information becomes a means to force ISP’s to reveal the account information through legal meandering.
If they use the information to inject advertisements in place of existing ads, they are stealing revenues from the site owners. Say I surf to Runescape and click one of the advertisements there. I support those sites that actually offer me something at their expense. So I click an advertisement about once a week just to provide Janex with some funds. Who gets credit for the click if ads are injected…not Janex.
Charter has been cautious in what they are relieving about this deal, making it sound like it will provide better service to their customers, when in reality its about generating more revenues while not improving speeds or expanding their network. Unfortunately their competition is just as guilty of generating more revenues while not improving speeds or expanding their network, so I stuck with Charter or AT&T here in Asheville. Great Brittan’s “100 Mbps sewer internet” smells better every day.