« Wikia Search Update | Home | New Microsoft Pay to Search Program »

Embarq Delivers Targeted Ads to Subscribers

By Anthony | September 1, 2008

Earlier this year, the Embarq Corporation conducted a trial wherein they delivered targeted advertising to their subscribers.  It worked by monitoring the websites their subscribers visited and then displaying advertising based on those web surfing habits.

According to the Associated Press, Embarq conducted the test in the Gardner, Kansas, USA area on a group of 26,000 subscribers.  Did the company give those subscribers the opportunity to opt-out of this program?  Evidently yes.  Their online privacy policy contained a general notification of the program.  But no customers were directly informed.  Embarq said that 15 people did opt out, but unless you read the online privacy policy, you had no idea that you were being monitored and targeted.

It is this method of announcement that has caused a stir.  Visit the Embarq home page and see how long it takes you to find the privacy policy link.  Maybe that is why only 15 people opted out and why Embarq faced congressional questioning  to explain its notification process.

Embarq is the DSL provider of choice in our area, the North Carolina coast, so its subscribers would do well to monitor this story and to review the online privacy policy to make sure they are ok with everything.

1. Things We Like - Faststone Screen Capture The inaugural selection for our Things We Like section is...
2. PPC Click Fraud Rate Q2 2008 There is good news and bad news for PPC advertisers...
3. More Thoughts on Google Penalties Like many other blog owners, we offer space to advertisers....
4. Paid Links, De-Indexing and Google As has been mentioned, Google recently beat down millions of...
5. Google: Do as I Say, Not as I Do When Google comes down on everyone else for not using...

If you liked what you read, give us some love

Get our FAT FREE RSS feed

Stumble it!

Topics: Uncategorized |