Editechial
Your Editorial of the Tech IndustryCharter Says NO to NebuAds
By Garrison Fairfield
We talked a few days ago about SocialMedia’s FriendRank (coverage) ad system violating the privacy and intent of social networking members since they associate your top friends with a certain brand (without them knowing). And now ISP provider, Charter, has said they’ve decided against moving forward with NebuAd, the leading ISP centric ad network. Without going into extreme detail, NebuAd tracks your full digital usage (cable, tv, internet), and pairs ultra relevant ads to websites that you visit. They claim to be the next generation behavorial targeting network. However there are many consumer privacy activists who believe that NebAd’s core philosophy is fundamentally wrong. Specifically the groups Free Press and Public Knowledge delved deep into the software and had this to say (click for full PDF):
“NebuAd exploits normal browser and platform security behaviors by forging IP packets, allowing their own JavaScript code to be written into source code trusted by the Web browser. NebuAd and ISPs together cooperate in this attack against the intentions of the consumers, the designers of their software and the owners of the servers that they visit.”
And it was after this detailed report was published, along with the interest from Congress into the legalities of their targeting mechanisms, that Charter decided to pull themselves away from the guaranteed public scrutiny that will soon envelop the deep behavioral targeting industry.
I’m torn between both camps personally. I do see the potential for privacy invasion, however I’m also not under the naivity that Google doesn’t track EVERYTHING I do online to market to me accordingly. (Or someday come and blackmail me, JK). And I actually think it is beneficial to have much more relevant ads placed on the sites I’m visiting since it actually enhances the user experience. Also, the cookies that are placed by traditional behaviorial ad networks like BlueLithium no longer bother the same activist groups that once attacked them in the same manner they are going after NebuAds and their competitors.
So we will keep you posted on the developments with this industry as they happen, stay tuned.
Glenn Mar said on Friday, June 27, 2008, 9:06
Interesting post. I understand the argument that forging packets to get code on the browser seems a little sleazy, but security designs of the browser are just product decisions, not mandates from God. Isn’t it just as sleazy for virus protection companies to target ad server cookies, or to look for /ad/ in a URL after community standards already asked people to please comply with that standard?
GF said on Friday, June 27, 2008, 9:14
I actually think that the Virus “protection” companies should be held to the same standard as the advertising companies. Part of the problem is that the privacy advocate groups seem to look at ad companies in a different light than security software firms. It is not right or fair, but it is the current state of the industry.
Columbus Ohio Internet Usage Unknowningly Monitored for Profit at The Blog of Angelo said on Monday, June 30, 2008, 17:57
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NebuAd Fights Back | Editechial said on Wednesday, July 9, 2008, 11:33
[...] probably the most hated ad network in the space, NebuAd (coverage) is trying to show the public that it is a user centric company that cares about online privacy. [...]