Charter's Trials of NebuAd Halted

RalphTheWonderLlama writes "The trials of NebuAd by Charter Communications were halted after it gained the attention of Congressmen Ed Markey and Joe Barton. The online behavioral targeting system has been called "a 'man-in-the-middle attack' and various other unflattering names" but would certainly be an easy way for an ISP to cash in on client profiling." PaisteUser points out MSNBC's coverage as well, according to which the ad-insertion scheme was dropped because of "concerns raised by customers."

Paul Allen

[victorl19]

I remember reading that Paul Allen's investment in Charter had already cost him billions. Anyone know if there is anything more to this?

Not just eavesdropping, but spoofing

[algorithmagic]

Looks like NebuAd isn't just eavesdropping on user behavior, but actively creating fake traffic: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06/23/topolski_takes_on_nebuad/ [theregister.co.uk] As if the Post Office were not only to read your mail, but to rewrite it for you on the sly. That's beyond Orwellian.

Another angle of attack

[camperslo]

When dealing with a company that is generally not responsive to customer feedback, the only thing that they're likely to pay much attention to is lost business. If subscribers cancel their accounts and tell them why they are canceling that may be noticed. Those who can't cut the cord with them completely (due to lack of competing options) might still be able to reduce the customer count by arranging for neighbors to share connections via WiFi etc.

If they are selling advertising and there is a way to tell which ads are from them, pressure can be brought on and then from the advertisers. Simply contact the advertisers and tell them you'll not be buying any of their products/services because they are supporting Charter who is....(detail sins)

If inserted ads are not easily identified while mixed with those normally present, perhaps pressure could be brought on other connected advertisers. If Charter sets users up with a default startup/home page, any advertisers there or on connected pages would be fair game for example.