Zedo
 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Internet marketing |
| Founded | September 1999 |
| Headquarters | San Francisco, California, USA |
Key people | Roy de Souza, Co-Founder/CEO; Joseph Jacob, CTO; Carl Kaiser, VP of Sales |
| Products | Zedo Ad Server (Publishers, Marketers, Networks) Network Optimization (Publishers) Behavioral Targeting (Networks) |
| Website | www |
Zedo (trademark styled as ZEDO) is a privately held company founded in 1999 by Roy de Souza, which provides several online advertising products and services to websites, ad networks and direct publishers.[1] The company works with publishers who sell space on their web pages to online advertisers. Zedo's servers send advertisements to users' browsers.[2] Zedo uses an HTTP cookie to track users' browsing history resulting in targeted pop-up ad and pop-under ads. The cookie is often flagged by spyware and adware removal programs.[3]
Zedo is an associate and professional member of the Online Trust Alliance. [4]
History
Zedo began in 1999. The company headquarters is located in the North Beach district of San Francisco, California.[citation needed] Reducing costs, Zedo's development center is in India.[5] In 2001, it expanded by offering the ad-serving technology to large websites.
By 2004, the use of filters to limit pop-ups and pop-unders increased. Zedo began using intromercials—advertisements served before the requested content—as an alternate method.[6]
Zedo has also experimented with creating its own social networking sites. In 2006, it launched a social networking site where users get shopping advice from friends who own products called Zebo.com.[7]
In early 2012, ZEDO began counting newspapers as clients.[8]
Criticism
Zedo uses HTTP cookies to track users' browsing and advertisement viewing history.[9] The company has an anti-spyware policy and utilizes an ad scanning system which "frequently checks the content and source of ads served by [...] partners".[10] CA Technologies has categorized Zedo's over risk of spyware as "very low" and privacy risk as "very low".[11]
A report from Ben Edelman, "independent spyware researcher" found that "DoubleClick's and Zedo's ad platform cookies were detected by seven" of 11 tested anti-spyware programs.[citation needed]
Technologist Danny Sullivan has stated that Zedo carries misleading "junk" ads linking to fake news sites.[12]
Zedo offers an opt-out option.[13]
References
- ^ "Internet advertising: Top of the pops". The Independent. 2002-10-07. Retrieved 2007-11-26.
- ^ Heim, Sarah J. (2001-07-21). "Zedo Ad Serving Technology puts consumers in control". AllBusiness.com. Retrieved 2008-07-05.
- ^ Kaye, Kate (September 13, 2006). "Anti-Spyware Programs Snare Ad Cookies, Google Cookies Evade All". ClickZ.com. Retrieved December 10, 2009.
- ^ http://www.otalliance.org/about/Members.htm
- ^ Kaiser, Nathan. "Interview with Roy de Souza, CEO of Zedo". Npost. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ Olsen, Stefanie (June 4, 2004). "Revenge of the pop-ups". Cnet. Retrieved April 20, 2012.
- ^ Tedeschi, Bob (April 30, 2007). "Got Roomfuls of Stuff? Now Sites Will Help Keep Track of It". The New York Times.
- ^ "Zedo refocusing on newspapers". News&Tech. Retrieved 24 January 2011.
- ^ "Anti-Spyware". Zedo. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
- ^ "Spyware Detail : Zedo". Computer Associates. 2004-08-16. Archived from the original on 2009-01-14. Retrieved 2008-02-28.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|dead link=ignored (help) - ^ Danny Sullivan. "Of Misleading Acai Berry Ads & Fake Editorial Sites". daggle.com. Retrieved 2011-01-29.
- ^ "Opt Out". Zedo. Retrieved 2008-07-08.