Phorm

Marty_J

Well, Gmail are providing me with a service that I use a lot. They aren't snooping on all email sent to or from my computer.

You can opt-out of Google advertising by downloading the opt-out cookie, or you can permanently opt-out by installing the opt-out plugin for IE or Firefox.

peter_the_piper

If our wonderful leader has his way a version of Phorm will have to be installed on All isp's so they can see where you have browsed and who you have emailed. All in the cause of "Security" of course, it for your own good, If you're not doing anything wrong then what are you worried about.

asininity

I use inbox and gmx. Email is email to me I'd rather use one that I dont need to opt out of.

@ the piper,

I believe the law states something like innocent till proven guilty. If this goes through we're all treated as guilty until proven innocent.

peter_the_piper

That's what I'm getting at. Probably paranoia but I don't trust some people.

DatabaseError

Marty_J wrote: »

Targeted advertising isn't really anything new. If you use Gmail, Google read your emails in order to serve you targeted text advertising. It's a bit much for it to happen to all your web traffic though.

I agree, google sell my 'clicks' but they do provide me a service which I value.

However the DPI of phorm is something new..and a little bit scary to me. I can chose not to use google, I can chose to use tools to block google analytics, the BT customers who's data was initially intercepted by phorm in their undercover and probably illegal trial had no choice, and most users when give the opt in or out will have no understanding what they're opting in or out of, and absolutely no understanding that their data will be taken anyway by a company with a dubious past in spyware.

Phorm's big 'selling point' to the masses is webwise...functionality available in most browsers for free...and less random ads..I don't believe the people who phorm claims want tagetted ads understand what they're agreeing to...they might well perfer ads about gardening to ones about sex aids, but I believe most people don't want ads full stop.

:mad:

If you read about the correspondence between phorm and our government the whole situation looks even less wholesome

esuhl

I guess you're referring to the allegations that the Home Office colluded with Phorm, even (allegedly) offering to create/amend data privacy legislation based on Phorm's wishes! Some info is here: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8021661.stm.

Here's the letter that I think the BBC are referring to: http://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/downing_street_petition_website

And the link to a petition, as the Home Office appear to have suggested that permitting the previous petition on their website was a mistake...

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/dataprofiling/

AdelleF

Phorm is really bad news, and I urge anyone that is interested to learn more to take a look at the following sites:

www dot badphorm dot co.uk
www dot dephormation dot org.uk
https:// nodpi.org
www dot inphormationdesk dot org

(apologies for the url formatting, but the forum wouldn't let me pust complete urls)

Martin, I strongly recommend you either opt out this website, or take a stance against Phorm for the following reason:

People coming to your website do so for one main reason, to save money. This takes many forms from credit cards to travel, to health. I have used your site on a few occasions and last time was when I changed my electricity supplier, and its all good. Now, if Phorm get their way and their Webwise system goes live then anyone on a 'Phormd' ISP viewing your site will have every page they look at scraped, mirrored and a profile built on them using YOUR content, without your permission. This profile will then be used to target advertisements to said user for other companies partaking in the OIX (open internet exchange). Phorm and the phormed ISP will be using your website content to profit themselves, and in doing so, probably breaching your copyright and IP rights.

That is the basic low-down hard truth of the Phorm/Webwise system when it comes to website owners and content creators, the other side is that the user will have every single page they look at mirrored by deep packet inspection equipment, and a profile built upon them. There is no way the system can tell a user apart, it only knows the computer, so as another example, a parent may be looking as things specific to them, and if that parent lets their children use the same computer, with the same logged on account (as many do) the child will be subject to advertisements from what the parent has been browsing online, and vice versa. It is also not known if Phorm will stop at web pages, this may also go onto e-mail too. Though Phorm have rejected this claim, they have also lied about a whole load of other things.

At the end of the day make up your own minds, but please educate yourselves to this. Dont just look at the links I have provided, but search for yourself.

AdelleF.

Edit: Martin, I have just watched your 'Martin's Money Rant Video'. If your really believe in that, as I'm sure you do, and as I do too, then please opt out of Phorm. Do you want your website to profit others? The advertising industry generates ~£40bn every year in the UK, of that Phorm estimate they can gain a ~£82m slice of that, at the expense of the web users and content creators. It's not fair. There is nothing in it for the content creator or the user, it is exploiting the web, in the biggest (and sadest) possible way.

samhale

Sounds simply terrible.

esuhl

Sounds illegal!