WebProNews

Charter Communications, the third-largest publicly traded cable operator in the U.S., says it is putting its plan on hold to allow advertisers to target its Internet users based on what they search for.

"As we do with all new service launches or initiatives, we conducted focus groups well in advance, which told us that most broadband consumers would look upon this service favorably," Charter said in a statement on Wednesday.

"We will continue to take a thoughtful, deliberate approach with the goal to ultimately structure an advertising service that enhances the Internet experience for our customers and addresses questions and concern they've raised," the company said.

The program drew criticism from U.S. lawmakers including Rep Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat who chairs the U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on telecommunications and the Internet.

"Given the serious privacy concerns raised by the sophisticated ad-serving technology Charter Communications planned to test market, I am pleased to hear that the company has decided to delay implementation of this program, which electronically profiled individual consumer web usage," Markey said.

"I urge other broadband companies considering similar user profiling programs to similarly hold off on implementation while these important privacy concerns can be addressed."

Privacy advocates argue that tracking users online behavior is similar to wiretapping and that it also interferes with Internet communications by leaving cookies on users computers.