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ISPs Inserting Ads Into Your Pages

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the now-thats-just-slimey dept.

TheWoozle writes "Some ISPs are resorting to a new tactic to increase revenue: inserting advertisements into web pages requested by their end users. They use a transparent web proxy (such as this one) to insert javascript and/or HTML with the ads into pages returned to users. Neither the content providers nor the end-users have been notified that this is taking place, and I'm sure that they weren't asked for permission either."

5 of 434 comments (clear)

  1. Copyright Bonanza by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The content in my pages is copyright implicitly, even if I don't register or even declare it in the pages. The right my ISP has to copy it is only for the purpose of publishing it in the transaction I have explicitly permitted: publishing it on URL requests.

    If my ISP copies it for any other purpose, like inserting ads, or copies it into (or as) some other context, like an ad page, it's violating my copyright.

    Every copyright violation - every page - makes them liable for a fine. That can really stack up, and costs a lot more than each page view generates in ad revenue.

    Unless I've signed away my copyright in some contract with the ISP. Which I personally haven't. Nor should you.

    If you have retained your copyright, and your ISP violates it, you should look forward to them handing over their business ownership to pay the damages. Email your lawyer from your other account and get the ball rolling. Why should corporate copyright holders have all the fun?

    --

    --
    make install -not war

  2. Re:Suprise! by tha_mink · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Reminds me of how back when cable TV started up the idea is that you were paying for more channels and you wouldn't have to deal with ads. Looks like some things never change.

    Actually, I'm more pissed as a content provider then I am as a consumer. How dare they! If I wanted advertising on my content, I'd put it there, and get paid for it. For me, this is totally stealing from content providers and not just annoying to consumers. I mean, isn't that like making money off of other peoples content? Wouldn't that be more like a telephone company forcing you to listen to an add before you place or receive a call? Imagine....

    Phone rings and you pick up....

    (You) - Hello? (Automated Hell) - Hello, this is A-T-And T, we have a call for you, but first, we'd like you to enjoy a message from our sponsors...
    (You) - Click!

    Fuck that! Stealing content...bullshit.
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    You'll have that sometimes...
  3. Re:On the one hand... by bruns · · Score: 5, Insightful

    From my experience (I've worked at and built enough ISPs) that even if they find a way to potentially reduce the customers cost per month (ie: through ads), they won't pass the savings to the customer - ever.

    Why? Profit. It's a great motive.

    --
    Brielle
  4. Re:I've known about this for a while... by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 5, Insightful

    However, they also explicitly say that they insert ads:

    As a content provider, I didn't give them any licence to create derivative works. Creating versions of my pages with ads, is clearly creation of a derivative work.

    But of course, it's much more important for copyright law to prevent me from copying a CD for a friend, then to prevent some large ISP from violating my moral rights by whoring out my content.

    --
    Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
    You cannot wash away blood with blood
  5. Re:Suprise! by Timothy+Brownawell · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Clearly you're not familiar with CALEA. They not only log your traffic, they store all the packets so the courts can request them later.

    Um, how? Even a 10Mbit pipe is 108GB / day. So how much bandwidth does a typical ISP use, and where do they get enough storage to remember it all?