homeland security and GAIN.

[karmakaze]

Pop-up ads invade Department of Homeland Security

There's a gator guarding your privacy at the Department of Homeland Security.

Among the appointees to the department's 20 member "Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee" is D. Reed Freeman, the "chief privacy officer" of Claria Corporation.

That's the company formerly known as Gator, infamous for its software, a.k.a. GAIN, which stands for Gator Advertising Information Network. It's sadly familiar to many frustrated Web surfers, who have been surprised to discover it mysteriously installed on their desktops serving them extra helpings of ads.

The New York Times, the Washington Post and the Dow Jones Company sued Gator back in 2002 for the way its ads appeared as parasites on their sites. But even though the original Gator software can be considered one of the original plague carriers of the spyware blight -- be careful about calling it that. The company has repeatedly threatened its critics with libel lawsuits for dubbing it "spyware."

The fact that a "privacy officer" for a company that made its name sneaking onto computers all over the word is now helping to determine what should be done with data collected by the Department of Homeland Security might be alarming to some people. But is it really all that shocking? The D.H.S.'s own chief privacy officer is no stranger to the ins and outs of interactive marketing either. She used to work for the online marketing firm, DoubleClick.

The Privacy Advisory Committee will hold its first meeting April 6, 2005 in Washington D.C. Can pop-up ads promoting every fluctuation in the terror alert level be far behind?

-- Katharine Mieszkowski

[4X541N7]

Why don't they just brainwash us, one-by-one, & get it over with...

[JaNell]

Do they actually even need to?


It's GOOD that Bart did that...
Very, very good.
*nervous laugh*

[Asher]

oh..i thought you meant Gain as in..laundry detergent..this isnt nearly as cool.

Defending America..one stubborn grass stain at a time..

[4X541N7]

Do they actually even need to?


It's GOOD that Bart did that...
Very, very good.
*nervous laugh*

Major League Baseball is behind it all, I tell you...(Side Note: Did you know that the MLB website is Webmastered by the X-Guitarist of Grindcore/Industrial band BILE? It's extremely funny, concidering that he has Bathomets tattooed on his entire front torso, & both hands...lol)

But, no...I think they have convinced there good lil' sheep well enough now...For now...