Forwarded From: Jon <jont_private> http://www.usatoday.com/life/cyber/zd/zd7.htm 10/12/98- WebTV is watching you From: Inter@ctive Week Online Microsoft Corp.'s WebTV Networks Inc. is quietly using a system-polling feature that can extrapolate subscriber information from each of its 450,000 users to better serve advertisers, said Steve Perlman, president of WebTV. The polling, which takes place nightly, uploads television and Web site viewing habits back to the system. The data makes it possible for WebTV to scrutinize not only what subscribers are watching, but also what they are clicking on or surfing away from, Perlman said. The polling results are offered to advertisers in an aggregate format; however, because results are grouped by ZIP code and contain demographic data compiled from WebTV viewers' polls, it can help them target ads more effectively. "We have a whole department that does nothing but look at the information. If someone is watching a car ad and clicks through, we can send them to the closest car dealership Web site," Perlman said. "The balance is providing advertisers with useful information while still protecting the subscribers." WebTV already protects its subscribers from Internet cookies -- markers that track what sites people visit on the Web. "I don't think people understand the extent of this. It's recording everything they do. This is like having a video camera on them 24 hours a day," said Tom Rheinlander, an analyst at Forrester Research Inc. The polling will take a giant step into the realm of cable TV in 1999. Tele-Communications Inc. and other cable operators are expected to deploy more than 5 million set-top boxes that will ship with Windows CE and the Solo chip, bringing WebTV to cable. Today, WebTV informs its subscribers about the polling. Next year, Perlman said, customers will have the option of turning individual tracking on and off at will. This will allow advertisers to send ads to single households, not just ZIP codes. Sean Kaldor, vice president of International Data Corp.'s Consumer Device Research, said this could translate into greater ad revenue for Microsoft. "But it could also work out well for subscribers. They may get lower or free subscriptions for enabling this level of tracking," Kaldor said. "Is it going to happen? I doubt it, but it's a nice thought." By Karen J. Bannan -o- Subscribe: mail majordomot_private with "subscribe isn". Today's ISN Sponsor: Repent Security Incorporated [www.repsec.com]
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