Fergie's Tech Blog

Ben Edelman: ComScore Doesn't Always Get Consent

Ben Edelman:

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.

posted by Fergie @ 6/28/2007 10:15:00 PM