Congressman Wants Opt-In Rule for Web Tracking
Date : 18 Jul 2008 Category : Technology
NewsFactor NetworkThere are notable differences between the typical data gathering that individual Web sites conduct and those deploying deep-packet technologies in broadband networks, Rep. Edward Markey (D-Mass.) noted during a hearing on the impact of deep-packet technologies on consumers, Internet service providers, and the Internet.
"First, there is a distinction in the detail, type and amount of data collected," Markey said. "As opposed to individual Web sites that know certain information about visitors to its Web sites and affiliates, deep-packet inspection technologies can indicate every Web site a user visits and much more about a person's Web use," he said.
Anonymous Identifiers
Markey, whose subcommittee has direct jurisdiction over the Federal Communications Commission and providers of telecommunication services, noted that deep-packet technologies can used not only to target advertising based on a user's Web habits, but also to manage traffic on a network, detect network threats, and discover the presence of copyrighted or illegal material.
"As a result, these technologies raise not only significant privacy concerns but also highlight broader policy questions, including how they impact the evolution of the Internet itself and its future prospects for driving innovation and fostering competition and job creation," Markey said.
During this month's hearing, Markey and other subcommittee members grilled NebuAd CEO Robert Dykes about his company's Web monitoring service. Though Dykes said his company's technology does not gather personal information about individuals and translates the IP addresses it gathers into anonymous identifiers, committee members expressed concern that the electronic profiling of any individual's online activities is an invasion of privacy.
In particular, Dykes did not...