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NebuAd Suspends Deployment Of Ad Technology

NebuAd, it seems, is going down. One day after the resignation of CEO Bob Dykes, behavioral targeting firm NebuAd suspended plans to deploy its controversial advertising technology. The departure of Dykes, which was widely reported yesterday, came on the heels of several Internet companies suspending or canceling their trial of the Web firm's deep-packet inspection technology, which had caused concern in Washington.

In an email, NebuAd spokeswoman Janet McGraw said the company supported those "who have put their trial deployments on hold so that Congress can spend additional time addressing the privacy issues and policies associated with online behavioral advertising." She added that NebuAd would continue to focus on enhancing ISP-level tracking technology, which had effectively been put on hold after Congress stepped up its surveillance of online ad targeting-specifically focusing on tests conducted by Internet companies using NebuAd.

As The Washington Post points out, critics have likened deep-packet inspection to the phone company tapping a call. The technology allows one company to monitor essentially all of a consumer's online activity, from regular surfing to searching for specific keywords and any other unencrypted Web communication. Former CEO Dykes is leaving NebuAd for VeriFone, an electronic payment systems provider.

Read the whole story at The Washington Post »

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