Internet Providers Look to Cash In on Your Web Habits

Authors: Sarah Krouse and Patience Haggin

Internet providers know a lot about what their customers do on the web, including the news sites they read, health ailments they research and entertainment services they use. They often know where those customers shop and manage their finances, too.

Now, they are deciding whether to use that information to sell ads. Some industry titans are being more aggressive than others, even as regulators are pressuring Silicon Valley companies and broadband providers to explain how they use customer data.

AT&T Inc. mines customers’ web-surfing habits as part of a broader advertising operation that taps into viewing data from television set-top boxes and location data from mobile phones, according to its privacy policy. Google Fiber gathers broadband-usage data on its customers.
​
Comcast Corp. and Charter Communications Inc. say they have so far shied away from the practice, out of fear of alienating customers. Verizon Communications Inc. doesn’t use Fios internet-usage or cable-viewing data for targeted advertising, a spokeswoman said. Cable operator Altice USA Inc. says it has also stopped short of doing so, but retains flexibility to pursue the strategy if it chooses to later.

​Read More: Here