Hulu and Spotify Drop KISSmetrics over Privacy Issue

Online entertainment leaders Hulu and Spotify have stopped using KISSmetrics' analytics services, after it was found that the firm had been using 'ETag' technology to track users, even after they had deleted their cookies.

'Person-based' analytics platform KISSmetrics was launched in 2008 to help clients make better use of their web site analytics. Both Hulu and Spotify were using the firm to track the online movements of their site visitors, but severed the link after a group of researchers from UC Berkeley discovered that the service used ETags, which are stored in a browser's cache and are not affected by attempts to block cookies.

According to a report produced by the researchers, the only way for users to block the tracking is for them to empty their caches between each site visit.

The report's co-author Ashkan Soltani was also involved in a study in 2009 which found that software from Internet ratings firm Quantcast resurrected traditional browser cookies after users had deleted them.

Since the KISSmetrics report was published on Friday, the company has updated its privacy policy to explain how users can opt out of its tracking system, and to state that it is no longer tracking users who delete their cookies.

Separately, two consumers - Joseph Garvey and Stacey Tsan - have filed a potential privacy lawsuit against KISSmetrics and Hulu, claiming that the firms' are in violation of US privacy law.

Web site: www.kissmetrics.com .