Is That A Different Tune I Hear?

The online analytics firm KISSmetrics quietly overhauled its web tracking methods over the weekend, and is now permitting users to block its surveillance, in a hurried response to a report slamming the company for using sneaky techniques to track web users who visit some of the biggest sites on the net.

The 17-person Bay Area startup made the changes after two of its highest profile customers — Hulu and Spotify — suspended their use of the service on Friday in light of the research and the Wired.com story that was first to report it. Separately, Hulu and KISSmetrics were also sued in federal court Friday for allegedly violating federal privacy laws, first reported by Online Media Daily.

On behalf of a whole lot of people who don't know how wrong this really was... thank you, Wired.  This could have become common practice and instead the bar has been set.  And thanks to the watchdogs who caught this and brought it out in the first place.