Top webcos advised to avoid bad Phorm
INTERNET PRIVACY CAMPAIGNERS have written to the world's top Internet companies urging them to steer clear Phorm, which they see as invasive software which snoops on unsuspecting Internet users.
The letter penned by the Open Rights Group (ORG) and sent to privacy specialists at Microsoft, Google/Youtube, Facebook, AOL/Bebo, Yahoo, Amazon and Ebay warns that the companies should be protecting their users from the insidious snooping of Phorm (AKA Webwise).
The letter says, "You may already be aware of our view that the Phorm / Webwise system is illegal. Communications cannot be lawfully intercepted, as this system does, without the informed consent of both the sender and receiver. The system will make copies of copyright material without permission, a further unlawful activity. Also, by forging extra 'tracking' cookies in your name, it may well bring your own system into disrepute."
The software, which watches your every move on the World Wide Wibble, and then pesters you with adverts based on your browsing habits, has already been tested in the UK by BT.
The fact that BT forgot to tell some of its customers that they were carrying out free beta testing caused an outcry which led to more than 21,000 signatures being added to a petition calling for a ban on the software.
Although users will be given the option to opt out of receiving the targetted adverts, details of their surfing will still pass through the system leaving it open to abuse, according to ORG.
The letter continues: "We strongly believe that it is clearly in your company’s interest, it is in the interests of all of your customers, and it will serve to protect your brand’s reputation, if you insist that the Phorm/Webwise system does not process any data that passes to or from your website." µ
L'Inq
ORG
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Bloody rich of the Inquirer to place such a pejorative write up of Phorm's platform considering that a quick check of my browser's cache shows that your own site has placed 9 cookies on my computer just by viewing this article alone.
God knows what they're tracking...and, um, didn't see any opt-out or obvious instructions for doing so when I visited the site.
Glasshouses, stones and tin-foil hat wearing hypocrites do not a happy mix make!
Bingo!
Not to mention the super cookies in Flash files. Best solution: uninstall the flash plugin (better never install it), install privoxy and adblocker, have your web browser wipe cookies, history and cache after each session.
The obvious difference being that, by visiting The Inquirer, you gave implied consent - both by visiting and having cookies enabled.
Phorm is at the supplier level, theres no implied consent, as you have no option but to pass through the system, which is why it requires explicit consent.