ad network

Online ad company NebuAd faced tough questions from U.S. senators on Wednesday. Privacy advocates have complained that the company's technology is too intrusive and may be breaking laws.

NebuAd is insisting its privacy protections are comprehensive. It also is offering new tools, such as customer notification and new opt-out technology, to empower Internet service providers.

"NebuAd is committed to driving innovation in online advertising while pioneering industry-leading privacy practices," said NebuAd CEO Bob Dykes.

Does Ad Targeting Break the Law?

When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer dropped his bid to buy Yahoo, he took pains to point out that Yahoo's search-sharing arrangements with Google were likely to bring intense antitrust scrutiny for any company acquiring Yahoo. Given Microsoft's lengthy history with antitrust enforcement, Ballmer found that particularly unappealing.

Microsoft's aggressive campaign to increase its position in digital advertising took another step this week as it announced the acquisition of Navic Networks, a television advertising provider. Terms were not disclosed.

The deal, announced Tuesday, will give the software giant ownership of Navic's sophisticated campaign-management tools for digital advertising. Those tools optimize where and when interactive television ads are placed. One tool, called Admira, offers a unified ad network so that selected audiences can be targeted across all ads in a campaign.