Six Internet Providers Disclose Web Tracking for Ads

NEW YORK - Six Internet service providers have acknowledged to Congress that they used or tested technology that tracks customers' Web surfing to target advertising — a disclosure fueling a Washington fight over online privacy.

The revelations came in letters to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which had asked 33 companies to explain their use of so-called deep packet inspection — technology that examines the content of a subscriber's traffic.

Most of the providers said the systems were tested on limited numbers of customers and that users were told they could opt out. Privacy advocates say opting out is not enough.

"Your ISP sits at the choke point of everything you do online. Letting it sell that view to advertisers is a line that should not be crossed without asking first," said a policy director at a digital-rights group.

The issue is part of a broader reckoning over behavioral advertising, the practice that lets companies like Google and Yahoo! show ads based on the sites a person has visited. The Federal Trade Commission has urged the industry to police itself.

With both parties eyeing technology policy ahead of the new administration, congressional aides say privacy legislation is likely next year.

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Associated Press writers contributed to this report.

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