Is Your Internet Provider Spying on You?

Michael Learmonth, Silicon Valley
Insider

Ever wonder which ISPs and portals are collecting and storing your surfing
data? Thanks to a Congressional committee, you can find out.

The House Committee on Energy and
Commerce sent 34
letters to ISPs and portals last month to find out if any were tracking the Web
activity of users, and if they had disclosed to users they were being watched.

As of Thursday, they'd received 33 responses. They've found that seven ISPs
have quietly started testing a service from ad-targeting
firm NebuAd, which tracks surfers' Web use, with little or no notice to
subscribers. The only company that hasn't yet responded to Congress is
Microsoft (MSFT), but a source close to the committee said Redmond will be filing its letter in the next
few days.

How do ISPs and portals measure up? Check the list below and click on the
link to read their response to Congress.

Quietly used NebuAd to track Web surfing:

• Bresnan
  Communications:
  Billings, Montana. gave email notification


• CableOne:
  Anniston, Alabama. posted notice on their Web
  site


• CenturyTel:
  Kalispell, Montana. gave email notice


• Embarq:
  undisclosed markets. updated privacy policy


• Knology:
  Knoxville, Panama
  City, West Point, Georgia. updated customer
  service agreement


• WOW!:
  Chicago, Detroit,
  Columbus, Cleveland,
  Evansville.
  updated terms of service

Haven't yet spied on users yet, but would like to:

• Charter
  Communications:
  aborted a planned test with NebuAd after Congress got interested


• AT&T:
  argues that they should be able to collect data a tt least as detailed as,
  say, Google

Tracking Web users on their own sites and around the Web:

• AOL


• Google


• Yahoo

Tracking Web activity on just the Web sites they own:

• Comcast


• Cablevision


• Cox


• Earthlink


• Mediacom


• Time
  Warner Cable


• United
  Online


• Verizon


• XO

Little or no tracking at all:

• Bright
  House Networks


• CBeyond


• Covad


• Frontier


• Insight


• Level3


• PAETEC


• QWest


• RCN


• Suddenlink


• TDS
  Telecom


• TW
  Telecom


• Windstream
  Corp.

See Also:
AT&T
To Congress: Google Spies On Web Surfing, So We Will, Too
Washington
Post's Cable Unit: We Spied On Our Users, Too
Sprint
Spinoff Embarq: Yes, We Spied On Our Users. Nope, We Didn't Warn Them
Web
Spying Firm NebuAd's Latest Worry: Congress
Scary
Ad Targeting Firm Tries To Reassure Public, Congress
Another
Internet Provider Abandons Ad Targeting Plan

Comments:

Well, for goodness sakes! So my provider is trying to deny any culpability! Well, saying "it is widely used and entirely legitimate business practice" is not good enough. They should not be doing any of this stuff!!!!

comment by sunlight on Aug 19, 2008 6:27 PM ()

Well, how? I mean he could try to undo this, but isn't the damage done already?

reply by sunlight on Aug 19, 2008 9:43 PM ()

The right wing nuts violate our liberty at their peril. A left wing President could return the favor.

reply by bumpedoff on Aug 19, 2008 9:35 PM ()