Editing Gratis Internet (section)

==History==
[[image:FreePay Logo.png|right|thumb|FreePay Logo]]
Gratis Internet was established in 2001. By July 2004, it launched a number of Web sites offering free merchandise, most notably [[iPods]], to users who register and complete membership requirements.<ref>{{cite web |title=Making Free IPods Pay Off |author=Leander Kahney |date=August 18, 2004|url=https://www.wired.com/gadgets/mac/news/2004/08/64614|accessdate=2012-06-29|publisher=Wired.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gearlive.com/index.php/news/article/freeipodscom_is_the_real_deal/ |title=FreeiPods.com Is The Real Deal|date=July 23, 2004|publisher=gearlive.com|accessdate=2012-06-29}}</ref>

Although the word "free" is used prominently, would-be members seeking to complete an offer to qualify for the free merchandise are often given a number of options, some of which involve signing up and paying for a service or subscription. Gratis websites were launched in the [[United States]], [[United Kingdom]], [[Canada]], [[Germany]], and [[Australia]].

Gratis's [[revenue]] in 2004 was [[United States dollar|US$]]20.5 million, according to Inc.com.<ref>{{cite web
 |title=Gratis Internet 
 |work=Inc.500 
 |url=http://www.inc.com/resources/inc500/2005/profiles/open_018.html 
 |accessdate=2006-03-26 
 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221010410/http://www.inc.com/resources/inc500/2005/profiles/open_018.html 
 |archivedate=2006-02-21 
 |url-status=dead 
}}</ref> Inc.com also reported that Gratis Internet had only 12 employees.

FreePay became the brand name for all of Gratis Internet's websites in August 2005, including the original FreeCondoms.com and FreeIpods.com..<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xrUVlq074JM FreePay on CNN]</ref>

In March 2006, New York Attorney General [[Eliot Spitzer]] filed suit against the company, alleging that it sold personal information obtained from millions of consumers despite a strict promise of confidentiality.<ref>{{cite web |title=New York Accuses Gratis Internet of Largest Deliberate Privacy Breach Ever |date=March 24, 2006 |publisher=ConsumerAffairs.com |accessdate=2012-06-29 |url=http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/03/ny_gratis.html |archive-date=2012-05-12 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120512000130/http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/03/ny_gratis.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The suit followed a $1.1 million settlement by [[Datran Media]], which had obtained 7.2 million names, e-mail addresses, home phone numbers, and street addresses from Gratis Internet. Gratis co-founder Peter Martin disputed that his company ever sold or rented out customer information,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2006/03/70420 |publisher=wired.com |date=March 16, 2006 | accessdate=2012-06-29 |title='Free IPod' Takes Privacy Toll|author=Ryan Singel}}</ref> saying that it hired Datran Media to work on creative design and back-office support for its e-mail marketing campaigns.<ref>{{cite web |publisher=Inc.com |accessdate=2012-06-29 |url=http://www.inc.com/news/articles/200603/gratis.html |author=Angus Loten |title=Inc. 500 Firm Denies Wrongdoing in Lawsuit|date=March 2006}}</ref>

In May 2006, Gratis Internet announced new terms of service, allowing users only three months to complete an offer and refer five friends.<ref>{{cite web | author=Balfour, J. | year=2006 | title=The FreePay Phenomenon | work=FreebieScout | url=http://www.freebiescout.com/blog/freepay-phenomenon.php | accessdate=2007-11-03 | archive-date=2007-12-09 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071209161534/http://www.freebiescout.com/blog/freepay-phenomenon.php | url-status=dead }}</ref>

In February 2010, a Gratis Internet spinout called [[Social Cash]], an advertising network for Facebook applications, was purchased by [[LifeStreet Media]], of San Carlos, Calif., for an undisclosed sum.<ref>{{cite news |title=Join the Company snares nearly $1M from investors |work=Washington Business Journal |author= Eric Engleman |date= May 10, 2010 |url=http://www.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/05/10/story16.html}}</ref>