IP: LOST IN (CYBER)SPACE-DOES PRIVACY EXIST

[Dave Farber <farber@cis.upenn.edu>]

----- Original Message -----
From: "James S. Tyre" <j.s.tyre@cyberpass.net>
To: "Dave Farber" <farber@cis.upenn.edu>; "Keith Dawson"
<dawson@world.std.com>; "Phil Agre" <pagre@alpha.oac.ucla.edu>;
<privacy@vortex.com>
Sent: Friday, February 25, 2000 5:50 PM
Subject: Aureate Media Spy


> There have been murmers on the Net the last few days of the discovery by
> Dale Haag <dhaag@nol.net> of the Aureate Media Spy.  The first article
> about his discovery just went up.  Your readers may find it of interest.
>
>
>      http://www.federalcourts.com/
>
>      LOST IN (CYBER)SPACE-DOES PRIVACY EXIST
>      Concerns Over Security and Privacy Alledged
>
>      By Deborah Hirshberg
>
>      Dale Haag, President of Net-Defender, Inc.,
>      a Computer Security and Forensics Investigation
>      firm based in Seabrook, Texas, has made
>      a discovery few of us wish to hear about.
>      Especially given the most recent outbreak
>      of criminal activity on the Internet. Denial
>      of Service attacks and the clandestine monitoring
>      of user activities are creating negative
>      connotations for the future of the Internet.
>      Haag's allegations involve the practices
>      of one Media Advertising company that specializes
>      in integrating banner advertising into desktop
>      software. Through the use of software components
>      installed unknowingly by end users during
>      the installation of legitimate software
>      packages, users may be unsuspectingly giving
>      access to not only their private Internet
>      surfing habits, but access to their system
>      as well.
>
>      Haag's allegations, in essence, send a chilling
>      statement that "Big Brother is Alive and
>      Well." At least in this case, "Big Brother"
>      is a private corporation. The company, Aureate
>      Media Corporation, through its desktop advertising
>      software, appears to be violating the privacy
>      and security of the unsuspecting victims
>      who have downloaded products containing
>      Aureate Media's software. These findings
>      may be a major blow to Aureate Media Corporation,
>      an electronic media and software services
>      company, whose website promotes that it
>      "distributes content to consumer desktops."
>      Aureate Media also promotes itself as a
>      company that brings together software developers
>      and publishers, advertisers and consumers
>      to deliver "value to consumers, generate
>      new revenue streams for software providers
>      and offer a highly targeted market to advertisers."
>
>      ....
>
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> James S. Tyre                          mailto:j.s.tyre@cyberpass.net
> Bigelow, Moore & Tyre, LLP            626-792-6806/626-792-1402(fax)
> 540 South Marengo Avenue                  Pasadena, California 91101
> Co-founder, The Censorware Project             http://censorware.org
>