Reports from Internetnews.com state that NebuAd, creators of the very controversial behavioral targeting technology, recently announced they will stop their ad-targeting campaign. This comes shortly after many of their clients (such as CableOne) dropped NebuAd over privacy concerns and a Congressional hearing. In a statement made by NebuAd, they stated, “plans for wide spread deployment via the Internet service provider channel are delayed to allow time for Congress to spend additional time addressing the privacy issues and policies associated with online behavioral advertising.” Along with the project being halted and ISPs canceling their contracts, CEO and co-founder Bob Dykes resigned.

NebuAd’s behavioral targeting campaign was supposed to keep information anonymous and only collect and store pertinent information so that online advertisements could reflect an individuals tastes and offer products that they are more likely to want to purchase. The above mentioned ISP was one of the many multiple service operators that had contracts with NebuAd for their state-of-the-art services. ISPs have been tracking and recording their users’ information and selling it to the highest bidder, which in many cases was NebuAd. While this concept seemed like a good idea, privacy advocates and security experts called it “browser high jacking,” and made it clear that an ISP could be breaking federal wiretapping laws by using NebuAd.

NebuAd required the ISPs they contracted with to inform their users of the ad-tracking campaign. ISPs did inform their users, but in many cases did not allow them to opt-out of having their Internet privacy jeopardized. Also, many of the ISPs did not specifically tell their users what was happening, but just made small modifications to their privacy policies. Embarq, for example, stated in their privacy policy: “The Web sites that you visit or online searches that you conduct” may be used to “deliver or facilitate the delivery of targeted advertisements.” On a side note–only 15 Embarq users opted out. Who should be blamed then? Is NebuAd at fault for developing the eavesdropping software, or is it the fault of the ISPs who don’t tell their users they are being spied on and then sell the information? The next step is for Congress to introduce legislation requiring explicit consent from users that way they know and willingly allow their information to be collected.

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As an avid reader with more than a casual interest in privacy, I tend to find interesting sites on the topic of privacy. Today I found Protecting Personal and Financial Privacy, a blog by Mike Valentine. Not only does he write well, I found the articles thoughtful.

His latest post discusses AOL and behavioral targeting. He points out that people are careless with their personal information. This is the point we’ve been making on this blog since we started it. Privacy starts with personal responsibility. If you give up your personal information too easily, you forfeit your right to privacy.

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GovGab is an important tool for staying up to date on government legislation and resources. The blog posts vary by many different topics, with some of the newer ones focusing on keeping your food from spoiling during a power outage or discovering disabilityinfo.gov. The blog also breaks down into different categories so you can search for the things you are interested in.

The part of the blog I would like to focus on is one of their more recent posts. It is focused on privacy protection. The most important part of the posts points us to a list of privacy resources aimed at helping us maintain privacy. The resource page is set up with government and non-government sponsored websites that are all focused on helping us keep our privacy.

The resource page has just about any topic you could need to know about. It does have a lot of articles and resources for protecting children online, which is always a major concern. Other areas include financial information, identity theft protection, medical records privacy and Internet privacy. The resources site has a lot to offer and can keep you busy for a long time. Along with privacy resources, the resources site allows you to locate local officials, find information on a business, and get resources for teachers and consumers.

Ultimately the blog is a great source of information from our government. It does a great job of keeping the postings entertaining and not just focused on politics and policies.

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Privacy International has been around for almost 20 years and works hard day-in and day-out to protect our personal privacy from corporations and governments. They are the oldest privacy advocacy group and the first of its kind international resource for privacy protection. Headquartered in London, with a U.S. headquarters in Washington D.C., they describe themselves as a chameleon-like group that advocates privacy but can also be a troublemaker. Privacy International’s advisory group is not afraid to dive into a controversial campaign in order to protect privacy. Privacy International is a very involved privacy advocate group that uses the power of the pen to conduct studies and write reports that will benefit privacy for all.

Privacy International’s website is very easy to use and navigate. It contains a listing of “Top News” articles that they are directly involved in, continues with a Key Resources section, followed by News and Developments and lastly a Reports/Studies/Campaigns section. The website also offers specific subject areas that offer more in depth coverage and information in such areas as: data protection and privacy laws, financial surveillance, and national ID cards. You can also search issues by specific privacy related keywords.

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The Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) is “a public interest research center in Washington, D.C. It was established in 1994 to focus public attention on emerging civil liberties issues and to protect privacy, the First Amendment, and constitutional values.”

EPIC is another great organization that was established to help people against all the privacy risks they may encounter. EPIC publishes a newsletter called the EPIC Alert which is openly available for anyone to read or subscribe to. Along with the Epic Alert, the organization also publishes books pertaining to privacy issues, open government, and free speech.

One of my favorite parts of the website is the “Policy Issues” menu. This is where you can look up more detailed information on free speech, open government, and privacy issues. The “Privacy A to Z” gives a very detailed list of Hot Topics and New Resources, as well as a comprehensive list of privacy issues (listed alphabetically of course). Many of the issues you can find here are ones that would be difficult to get any decent amount of information about. EPIC stays updated with the latest concerns and privacy risks through this section.

Another excellent part of the site that I use a lot is the “Resources” section. This is where you can also sign up for the EPIC Alert, visit the bookstore, check out EPIC-sponsored events, company press releases, and find privacy tools/resources. This section also offers a very useful Bill-Track, which keeps updated information on Congressional bills, and also features an entire section regarding “Former Secrets,” uncovered by EPIC’s use of the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).

EPIC is another pioneer for privacy. The hard work and dedication of the staff makes it easier for everyone to be informed about the latest privacy issues and ways to stay protected. EPIC is regularly featured in the news, and continues to fight hard to protect us.

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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is here to protect your digital privacy. The EFF is the first line of defense against cyber attacks. The nonprofit organization contains a mix of lawyers, analysts, activists and technologists that are working hard to protect us all from damage to our digital rights, ranging from cyber criminals to legislation against privacy.

EFF spends much of its time litigating and overseeing court cases that concern the digital rights of everyone who is entitled to them. Many crucial EFF court victories have shaped the way we use the Internet today.

The EFF website offers a wide array of information to research including e-voting rights and intellectual property issues. The site also has current cases that the EFF is involved in and any important updates. The Deeplinks Blog offers commentary and submission from various writers who have joined the fight with EFF in protecting us all.

It is great knowing that there is a place to turn when in need of information. EFF goes above and beyond most other organizations to protect us. The website offers an almost endless amount of content…just about anything you could want to know concerning privacy and the rights you have. EFF offers employment opportunities, internships, and volunteering for anyone who wants to join in the protection of our rights. The Electronic Frontier Foundation has been working hard since 1990 to set precedents and continues to fight against today’s issues.

As mentioned in a previous post about Internet privacy and who can be trusted, it is important to know who you can and can’t count on. The EFF does not remain anonymous about what they do. They put themselves on the front lines and allow themselves to be seen by everyone, including photos and biographical information.

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The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a “nonprofit consumer information and advocacy organization,” helping people stay protected in most aspects of their lives. The site ranges from issues concerning financial privacy and identity theft to Internet privacy. The organization was founded and is still run by Beth Givens and its mission is two-fold: consumer information and consumer privacy. The San Diego-based company was established in 1992 and is predominately grant-supported. The goals of the PRC are:

• Raise consumers’ awareness of how technology affects personal privacy.

• Empower consumers to take action to control their own personal information by providing practical tips on privacy protection.

• Respond to specific privacy-related complaints from consumers, intercede on their behalf, and, when appropriate, refer them to the proper organizations for further assistance.

• Document the nature of consumers’ complaints and questions about privacy in reports, testimony, and speeches and make them available to policy makers, industry representatives, consumer advocates, and the media.

• Advocate for consumers’ privacy rights in local, state, and federal public policy proceedings, including legislative testimony, regulatory agency hearings, task forces, and study commissions as well as conferences and workshops.

The PRC website offers consumer information regarding just about any privacy issue that could be of concern. The website offers various fact sheets on privacy issues in both English and Spanish. The site is conveniently indexed so that the user can easily search for a specific issue. Of course, as any pioneer for privacy should, PRC has a very extensive privacy policy clearly stated on the website. The best part, I feel, is the “Alerts & New Info” section which shows current privacy-related issues that should be paid special attention to. At this time the newest alert is “Security & Privacy for your Windows Computer” (in PDF). Privacy Rights Clearinghouse is a great site and a great organization that is founded on helping consumers protect themselves from the many privacy risks out there.

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