USA: Kabelnetzbetreiber schreckt vor Überwachung des Internet-Verkehrs zurück

Anbei ein neues Beispiel aus der Washington Post, dass Datenschutzbedenken allen Unkenrufen zum Trotz in den USA beizeiten doch eine Rolle spielen. Es geht im konkreten Fall um zielgerichtete Werbung...

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/24/AR2008062401033.html?hpid=topnews

Charter Communications, the fourth largest cable operator in the United States, announced today that it has backed off a plan to monitor customers' Internet transmissions.

The data collection effort would have protected personal information and would have only helped tailor Internet advertising to customers, Charter officials said. But critics likened it to wiretapping.

Other smaller Internet service providers have experimented with or are using the new method, known as "deep packet inspection," but Charter was the largest company to announce such plans to do so.

It had anticipated testing the program in June in four cities -- Fort Worth; Oxford, Mass.; Newtown, Conn.; and San Luis Obispo, Calif.

Earlier focus groups indicated that "most broadband consumers would look upon this service favorably," the company said in a statement. "However, some of our customers have presented questions about this service as well as suggested improvements. As such, we are not moving forward with the pilots at this time."

The company had also faced concerns from Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.), chairman of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet; and Rep. Joe L. Barton (R-Tex.), ranking Republican of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

"Given the serious privacy concerns raised by the sophisticated ad-serving technology Charter Communications planned to test market, I am pleased to hear that the company has decided to delay implementation of this program, which electronically profiled individual consumer [W]eb usage," Markey said in a statement. "I urge other broadband companies considering similar user profiling programs to similarly hold off on implementation while these important privacy concerns can be addressed."

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