Datran Media Settles with NY AG for $1.1 M
In reaction to accusations of an Internet privacy breach discovered by authorities, email marketing company Datran Media Corp. has agreed to a $1.1 million settlement with NY attorney general Eliot Spitzer and a major change in the way it collects Internet user data. Datran reportedly mined over 6 million email addresses through customer acquisition firms, and collected names, addresses and financial data through the use of enticements like iPod and DVD giveaways.
Datran obtained over seven million files from Gratis Internet, a company which promised to never “never lend, sell or give out for any reason” the personal information provided by its users. This transaction constituted what the New York Attorney General calls on their site the “largest deliberate breach of a privacy policy discovered by U.S. law enforcement to date.” Spitzer and the NY AG are continuing to investigate Gratis and other companies that compile and sell information on the Internet.
The finding by New York officials raises concerns over the vague distinction between acceptable data collection methods for online marketing and unethical spam tactics. “Personal information equals marketing dollars,” Spitzer said. “You learn more about consumers who you want to target in a hundred different ways, and there’s nothing wrong with that if you get the information properly.”
Datran maintains in the settlement that its business practices are ethically sound. Mark Naples, the spokesman for Datran,tells ADOTASthat in the past year the company has discontinued its relationships with businesses which change their privacy policies retroactively, and has adopted new measures such as employing a Chief Privacy Officer to oversee its compliance efforts. It will continue to provide email marketing services for its clients, which include Business Week, Columbia House, Fox Home Entertainment, NASCAR, Orbitz, and Pitney Bowes.
Reader Comments.
No comments yet
Leave a Comment
Article Sponsor
More News
-
Loading ...
Latest News
- Funding in Brief: $10M for Spongecell, $8M for Prolexic February 9th 2012 ADOTAS – Rich media ad company Spongecell has raised $10 million [...] more »
- Google AdMob Axes Minimum Bids, Targeting Fees February 9th 2012 ADOTAS - As of Feb. 15, Google will change its [...] more »
- Infographic: HootSuite Analyses Social Media Impact of Super Bowl Ads February 7th 2012 ADOTAS - So, it’s the Tuesday after the Super Bowl, [...] more »
- Facebook to Serve Mobile Ads in Coming Weeks February 6th 2012 ADOTAS – According to a Financial Times report, Facebook will [...] more »
- Survey: 39 Percent of Mobile Users Responded to Super Bowl Ads Via Mobile February 6th 2012 ADOTAS - During the Super Bowl yesterday, mobile ad network [...] more »
- Sponsormob Leads the Way Into RTB for Mobile February 3rd 2012 ADOTAS – For more than half a decade, Berlin-based tech [...] more »
- Weird Study: Mobile Purchasing While in the Bathroom on the Rise February 3rd 2012 DM CONFIDENTIAL - According to 11mark, three-quarters of Americans with mobile [...] more »
Features
- Attribution Online: Introducers and Influencers and Closers… Oh My! February 9th 2012
- With gTLDs, Global Branding Starts with a Name February 9th 2012
- Rethinking the Online Advertising Ecosystem, Part One: Independent Publishers February 8th 2012
- Case Study: Social Ad Effectiveness February 8th 2012
- Video: “Build an SEO Foundation” Excerpt February 8th 2012
Spotlight
Sponsormob Leads the Way Into RTB for MobileADOTAS – For more than half a decade, Berlin-based tech firm Sponsormob has remained relevant in an industry characterized by [...] more...
Reader Favorites
Classifieds
- PS Technical Writer - SEO Data Analyst
- Interactive Project Manager
- Media Buyer
- PHP Software Engineer (Facebook Platform/Social AP
- SEO/Marketing Internship at Green Education Startu
Recent Comments
- With gTLDs, Global Branding Starts with a Name – ADOTAS | ShopComs.com: [...] With gTLDs, Global Branding Starts with a NameADOTASADOTAS – It's no longer important how
- Domain Outlook : Latest Domain News » Blog Archive » With gTLDs, Global Branding Starts with a Name - ADOTAS: [...] With gTLDs, Global Branding Starts with a NameADOTASADOTAS – It's no longer important how
- With gTLDs, Global Branding Starts with a Name: [...] and Microsoft have little to worry about over names like UnitedThis and UnitedThat. The
- ReTargeter » Attacking Bad Banners: Inaugural Edition: [...] between 0.01% to 0.1%. Even with retargeted ads, which tend to have clickthrough rates
