I recently was informed that companies such as Hindsight Inc. were going to start offering isp's deep packet inspection again. To those that don't know, deep packet inspection is like cookies but much worse. Deep packet inspection allows a company to analyze and collect all data going into or coming out of your computer. This includes emails, user names, passwords, and live chatting. They can look at all this information and then target you with ad's of products that they think will interest you. These ad's are very specific not only to who's using the computer, but to how they are using it. They offer different ad's if you are getting on with a single objective or if you are just surfing out of boredom. The companies say that they will not use the full power of the technology and that they won't sell your information. Do you really think if someone had the power to move a mountain he would just throw a rock. They will use the full extent of this technology to get all the information they can from you. Then they will sell this information to make millions of dollars at our expense.
I know that if my isp provider sends me an email telling me they are starting this then they are losing a customer instantly.
I agree completely, not only should there be legal limitations as to what they can access, but there should be security products available to combat this. From a legal standpoint, the agreements you have to accept in order to use a companies products basically give them access to the information on your computer. The best defense is to never "remember" your passwords,a and to set your browser clear all your browsing data and cookies when you exit the browser. TI's a little bit of a hassle to have to retype your user names and passwords, but it helps protect your information.
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