Prompted by the NebuAD fiasco, the House Committee on Energy and Commerce recently began investigating how numerous ISPs and content operators treat user privacy (a hint: poorly). After sending out a letter to thirty-some companies, responses continue to pour in highlighting how many ISPs either sold user data without properly informing users, or are/were considering as much. The NY Times notes that the latest letter is from AT&T, who is "carefully considering" selling user browsing data. From a copy of AT&T's letter (pdf):

Behavioral advertising "could prove quite valuable to consumers and could dramatically improve their online experiences, while at the same time protecting their privacy." -AT&T

Given that the sale of user browsing data (which is estimated to provide ISPs with at least an additional $2 per month, per user) is never accompanied by rate reduction for consumers, the "value" being referred to is all AT&T's. Like both Charter and Embarq before them, AT&T really pours it on a little thick concerning how behavioral advertising is really about helping out the end-user. According to AT&T, the technology "could prove quite valuable to consumers and could dramatically improve their online experiences."

Perhaps I'm a grumpy cynic, but an increase in Hawaii vacation ads every time I ramp up my Orbitz browsing doesn't exactly strike me as "value," nor does it particularly improve my online "experience." If AT&T's roughly fifteen million broadband customers each start creating at least $2 per month in brand new revenues, it will be AT&T executives and investors who find their "online experience" the most "enhanced" -- not customers.

Maybe consumers would be more willing to hand over their browsing data as a new revenue stream if the process didn't begin with ISPs assuming all of their customers were idiots?