ISPs Selling Your Information Again

from the it's-just-your-privacy-don't-you-want-to-buy-some-stuff dept

Wed, Sep 26th 2007 1:05pm — Dennis Yang

In the past, when ISPs have attempted to make money off their users' clickstream data, they have met with fierce objections. Now, a new company, NebuAd is asking ISPs to provide not only clickstream data, but also your personal information such as physical location -- and they then want to use this data to target ads to you. But not to worry, your embarrassing halitosis problem won't outed by a traveling salesman selling mouthwash, since according to the company's CEO, "We only look at consumer sites - not ones that are sensitive. So if you go to a sex site, we don't track that. If you look up something for HIV positive, we don't look at that. But if you are planning travel to the South of France or are researching a Lexus SUV, we do track that." Uh yah, right. Ad companies always have the users' best interests in mind, don't they?

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Filed Under: ads
Companies: nebuad

15 Comments

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Anonymous Coward, 26 Sep 2007 @ 1:46pm

First
This is complete crap. I don't think that personal information should be sold by any means what so ever.
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Rick, 26 Sep 2007 @ 1:52pm

Where's my cut?
If an ISP sells your information, this should be clearly defined and disclosed to the customer in ENGLISH, not legal-ease.

The customer should also be entitled to a large discount on their service and the choice to 'opt-out' easily.

Personally, I'd be willing to let them have my clickstream data - for $50/month.
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You never know, 26 Sep 2007 @ 1:58pm

Hmmmmmm, Invasion of privocy, Disclosing personal information with out prior premission, just to mention a couple of issues here. One could wind up owning the ISP here.......
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Stute, 26 Sep 2007 @ 3:19pm

Well... If they do that...
I want free high speed internet access. Nay, I DEMAND FREE HIGH SPEED INTERNET!
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Freenet user, 26 Sep 2007 @ 3:26pm

Just use an encrypted connection
if all your data is encrypted, they can't track it.

one P2P network that is not designed for file sharing, but to support free speech, is Freenet. it's encrypted and no file is stored in one location, but rather spread out. that way, nothing can be "removed" from the network, but can die over time from lack of use. additionally, the have message-boards through Frost, and even provide tools for uploading your own Freesite (jSite). Its not perfect yet, but the idea and determination is definantly there.

www.freenetproject.org/
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Thinker, 26 Sep 2007 @ 4:05pm

There are solutions...
Tor, https://tor.eff.org
Relakks, https://www.relakks.com/
Anonymizer, http://www.anonymizer.com/
Xerobank, http://xerobank.com
IronKey, http://ironkey.com
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Anonymous Coward, 26 Sep 2007 @ 4:16pm

Re: Just use an encrypted connection
So Freenet is a BitTorrent app with real encryption and cleans out unused trackers? Interesting improvement on a fairly neat protocol.
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Haywood, 26 Sep 2007 @ 6:11pm

Targeted ads
I will never ever buy anything from a targeted ad. That is the quickest way to guarantee I won't buy anything you have to sell. I can't be alone in this. All this is is advanced spam.
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Danny, 26 Sep 2007 @ 10:06pm

Huh?
So the ISPs charge us for net access and then sell the data and info across said net for even more profit? Double dip...

And despite all this high speed internet are still so blasted high. Like comment #2 said there should be an opt-out option and a discount for those that go along with it.
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Some One, 27 Sep 2007 @ 2:33am

Actually...
Actually, FCC ruled that phone companies can sell/trade/market ALL information they have about you to other companies. For instance, your name, address, who you call and thier phone numbers, when you've called them, how long you talked to them, etc, anything you see on your phone bill. Stuff police have to have a warrant for, FCC says they can just sell it. Previously this was under an "opt in" policy, which means they had to ask you to sell this stuff. Then FCC decided, nah, its "opt out" so you have to ASK THEM to not do it.
Call up your phone company and ask them to not allow any distribution of your CPNI

Defenders of this will claim they can only sell/trade to "Affiliates"
Well who the frig are they? Affiliates could be anyone.
Anyway, there's more info here:
http://www.epic.org/privacy/cpni/
If you google CPNI you can find other info.
If you ask me, this is a much more serious issue, but no one seems to care.
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Rob Blatt, 27 Sep 2007 @ 6:08am

Re: Actually...
Affiliates are anyone that gives them money to be an affiliate.

I'm not selling affiliates, but I'll sell friendship. Who wants to be my friend? All you have to do is make three for your friends be my friend and you can be my friend for free!

Friendship not guaranteed.
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Joe Blow, 27 Sep 2007 @ 6:09am

Bitch
Just sucks
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Harry S. Balls, 27 Sep 2007 @ 1:24pm

My country tis of theee.. WTF??
"Personally, I'd be willing to let them have my clickstream data - for $50/month."

Good luck. Back in the 1990's, the Supreme Court ruled that we are NOT entitled to keep our private data private, that companies can use and abuse it for profit, but nothing to the ones being used for profit.
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init_6, 5 Oct 2007 @ 7:28am

Spam them.
I say we come up with a way to flood there networks with fake info While your computer is at idle it just gives fake clickstream data. if enough people give fake info then all the data becomes bad.
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angrymofo, 17 Jan 2008 @ 2:46pm

fuck them all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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