GeorgeK - 5:38 pm on May 14, 2008 (gmt 0)

TechCrunch sounded the alarm on this issue last year:

[techcrunch.com...]

when a small ISP in Texas apparently implemented the NebuAD system.

I guess we'll need to wait and see an actual implementation with a big ISP like Charter to see the technicals of exactly what is being done, to see if countermeasures are necessary. The potential of what *can* be done with this technology is scary, though.

If it's a form of another beacon/cookie, at the ISP level, the threat isn't as large as if it's whole replacement of ads. I would think that the marginal benefits of yet another beacon/cookie are minimal, given that entities like Google have their AdSense code on so many large sites, and also have data from Google Analytics and DoubleClick. The failure of Facebook and MySpace to monetize their sites well given all that they know about their users would tend to support this minimal value of the extra data.

It can become like a Trojan horse, to start off with an ISP-level beacon, and then later do more advanced things that hurt publishers, ala Gator (before they got sued) -- some of the NebuAD executives apparently came from Gator/Claria. Especially in countries that might not have the same copyright laws as the USA/Canada. An ISP in China or India or Africa might not face the same legal hurdles to replace ads as an American ISP.

[edited by: GeorgeK at 5:40 pm (utc) on May 14, 2008]