Targeted ad tech draws new lawsuit

A new class action lawsuit was filed last week against deep packet inspection firm NebuAd and several ISPs, with the allegation that DPI technology used in trials went beyond the bounds of the information that ISPs are legally allowed to track on their networks. The lawsuit allows that service providers are allowed to track online traffic for security and protection purposes, but that DPI's ability to access personal identifying informations goes beyond those allowances.

Some service providers began working with NebuAd with the hope of using DPI to help them develop targeted advertising capabilities for their broadband Internet services. It remains strange times for DPI and targeted advertising: NebuAd has faced the wrath of U.S. legislators, as well as massive corporate and strategic overhaul since the DPI controversy started, even though similar U.K. company Phorm has pretty much survived U.K. regulator inspection. Also, even while targeted advertising technology lures a lawsuit of one front, the TelcoTV 2008 event showed last week that companies in the IPTV sector are moving ahead with plans to integrate such capabilities into their platforms. read more about that at FierceIPTV.

For more:
- ZDnet has this story

Related articles
NebuAd lost its CEO a couple months ago
Embarq said it told subscribers about its NebuAd trial