It was about time for those poor conspiracy theorists to raise their voice again over a new treacherous threat spawned to doom humanity once more. Well, maybe the arrival of an online advert system called Phorm isn’t perceived so dramatically by the entire 6.7 billion people on planet earth, nevertheless it has created a sensation.Basically, web users consider Phorm’s applications as a possible privacy invasion in regards to creating targeted ads by identifying surfing habits. What it actually does is using your private browsing history, including your web page list, as an advertisement tool, a commodity to be brokered to advertisers. Not surprisingly, the 3 first UK ISP providers Virgin Media, BT and TalkTalk refrained from announcing the ongoing tests conducting on Phorm.
Phorm’s directors and spokespeople came around to their critics well-studied, flashing back corporate privacy claims audited by Privacy International before Ernst & Young’s authorization. For the new technolgy, maintaining your IP address isn’t so important, so nothing illegal here; important though is a unique-number cookie planted on your browser. It’s a rather dynamic process utilizing “distillation” techniques and not memorizing or phishing, therefore not illegal.
Ok, considering everything went well so far on the secret plan, so Phorm has created an intelligent profile, not directly yours but your web activity’s which then bargains; by now its target market should be dead obvious… it is actually the market of online Ltds thirsty to taste the big cherry pie shared exclusively by the only big web three…
Lets see how interesting it will turn out to be, any first thoughts?
Well, I wish I could agree. First of all the ISP's sell personal data. Yes I consider my browsing extremely personal, same as if I walked from A to B in my city and someone knew exactly where I went and what I did.
ReplyDeleteSecondly the ISP's are not passing any of the cost benefit to their client, not let alone ask for express permission to do so.
If Phorm wins this battle then this is only a start for worse things to come and as much I understand the need of tracking for advertisers I cannot help thinking that there needs to be a limit to what they can get their hands on.
This is a very serious issue and goes beyond advertising regulation. It is about respect for personal data and freedom online.
To put it simply if I found that my ISP is selling this data I will change ISP.