EMBARQ NEW TARGET OF HILL SCRUTINY OF BEHAVIORAL TARGETING

摘要

Embarq is the latest ISP to feel heat from House Commerce Committee leaders over behavioral targeting tests with NebuAd. For the first time, Chairman John Dingell, D-Mich., has signed on to a letter expressing concern. Along with Ranking Member Joe Barton, R-Texas, and Telecom Subcommittee Chairman Ed Markey, D-Mass., who earlier led congressional inquiries into targeting, Markey told Embarq CEO Tom Gerke that targeting involves "consumer privacy and other issues." The carrier stopped NebuAd tests under Hill scrutiny. The targeting could invoke not only the Electronic Communications Privacy Act and the Cable Act, but also the Communications Act and "other statutes," they said. Embarq may not have "directly notified the subscribers" that their Web use was being "analyzed and profiled," the leaders said. They asked Embarq several questions, including which group of subscribers was tested with targeting, how many and how they were chosen. The ISP should answer by Monday, the letter said.