[privacy] Ben Edelman: ComScore Doesn't Always Get Consent

["Paul Ferguson" <fergdawg () netzero net>]

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA1

Ben Edelman:

[snip]

This past Wednesday, ComScore raised $82 million in an IPO that jumped 42%
in its first day of trading. Some investors clearly like ComScore's
business, but I wonder whether they fully undersatnd ComScore's business
model, privacy implications, and poor track record of nonconsensual
installations.

ComScore's tracking software is remarkably invasive. The privacy policy for
ComScore's RelevantKnowledge tracking program purports to grant ComScore
the right to track users' name and address, browsing, shopping, and even
"online accounts ... includ[ing] personal financial [and] health
information." Based on these privacy concerns, well-respected security
researchers have long warned about ComScore's software. For example, in
2004 Cornell University began blocking all communications with ComScore's
MarketScore tracking servers. Multiple other universities (including
Columbia University and Indiana University) followed up with special
warnings to their users.

At least as serious are ComScore's installation practices. ComScore pays
independent distributors to install ComScore software onto users'
computers. Predictably, some of these distributors install ComScore
software without getting user consent.

[snip]

More:
<http://www.benedelman.org/news/062907-1.html>

- - ferg

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----
Version: PGP Desktop 9.6.2 (Build 2014)

wj8DBQFGhJY5q1pz9mNUZTMRAstoAKCDfI8tarTZaJfCaQvA5obqp/5gXgCg1xrF
5NTLUvNxlXZMlk3AZd4Tu04=
=ExME
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----



--
"Fergie", a.k.a. Paul Ferguson
 Engineering Architecture for the Internet
 fergdawg(at)netzero.net
 ferg's tech blog: http://fergdawg.blogspot.com/

_______________________________________________
privacy mailing list
privacy () whitestar linuxbox org
http://www.whitestar.linuxbox.org/mailman/listinfo/privacy