Class Action

Consumer Groups Support Bi-Partisan Probe Into Targeted Behavioral Advertising

By classlawblog

According to Broadband Reports consumer groups want Charter Communications and NebuAd investigated for a plan to target Charter?s customers with behavioral advertising.

On June 6, 2008 a group of fifteen consumer advocacy organizations sent a letter of support to the ranking members of the House Telecommunications Subcommittee, Edward Markey (D-MA) and Joe Braton (R-TX), who are taking issue with Charter?s decision to sell user browsing history to NebuAd.

The Congressmen in a letter to Charter?s CEO on May 15, 2008 asked Charter to halt the operation because it may be against the law.  Charter customers may be misled by Charter?s notice, which claims the data collection to be a new ?service? to its customers. The Electronic Communications Privacy Act, the Communications Act, and the Cable TV Privacy Act may also require that the collection of the ISP?s user browsing data and sale to behavioral advertising companies requires that customers be provided a choice to ?opt-in? to the service. Charter?s current notice only provides customers with a way to ?opt-out? of the service. Also, NebuAd?s opt-out process only stops targeted ad delivery, it does protect the customer’s information from being gathered and sold.

Full post as published by ClassLawBlog.com on June 13, 2008 (boomark / email).