UK members: Phorm is watching your internet!

Trifid · 03-13-2008, 02:58 PM

I know there are a few UK members here so forwarding this on.

Quote:

www.badphorm.co.uk
Simply put, three of the UK's largest ISPs (Virgin Media, BT and TalkTalk) have decided to sell your private browsing history to an advertising broker. Yes, the entire list of every web page you visit gets sent to Phorm (the broker) in real time, as you click, so they can send you 'targeted advertising'. Naturally the ISP's are not too keen on telling their users this, they'd much rather feed us all platitudes about how it'll help combat phishing and how the targeted adverts will be so much better than the random ones we see today. In fact, they didn't even announce it to the UK press, we had to find out about it from the New York Times!

BadPhorm - When good ISPs go bad!: Welcome
Anti Phorm League

I know that the government do not take notice of their petitions but it is good for bringing awareness to this, so please sign it, after all it takes 2 seconds. Petition to: Stop ISP's from breaching customers privacy via advertising technologies.

Saxon · 03-13-2008, 03:06 PM

Well this is a kick in the nuts, maybe there is a way to opt out like there is for unsolicited advertising.

Trifid · 03-13-2008, 03:12 PM

There is an opt out for targeted adverts (with the use of a cookie...) but not for them selling your data.

Oreo · 03-14-2008, 04:28 AM

Take them to court...

Biker-Boy-Nay · 03-14-2008, 04:44 AM

No Torrenting for me then.. LOOL

Thank you very much for the News Trifid,

By the way i doubt it they would be able to See what your browsing if the site has SSH (Secure Shell)

Apokalipse · 03-16-2008, 10:29 AM

Is there a petition for this people outside the UK can sign?
I'd sign it, even though it's not affecting me.

Ewc1307 · 03-16-2008, 10:59 AM

Does this in no way affect the privacy laws? - Or Data Protection in some way?

Gonna have to find out!

Trifid · 03-16-2008, 03:34 PM

It's been given the OK because of their 'protection' they offer, such as not saving any numbers longer then 3 digits and anything that contains the @ symbol.

They track you via a unique number instead of a name but this doesn't stop them finding out this information. I.e. I buy something on a forum and send an email containing my name and address. They then have this data, stored in the US and no longer under our 'protection' laws and so can be sold on further. It wasn't reviewed by someone who knows much about technology obviously.

Sorry, no there isn't a way for people outside the UK to sign it. Although this doesn't effect me personally, both my internet reseller and wholesaler (Aquiss and Entanet) have vowed not to sell to Phorm I do feel quite strongly against this being implemented.

Oreo · 03-16-2008, 08:58 PM

This is BS. They can't do that.

It is surely a breach of privacy that we are entitled to. This is like living ina communist country.

Apokalipse · 03-17-2008, 06:37 AM

I can't believe I'm considering this a good option, but perhaps a mass mailer to inform people using those ISP's of their plan to sell your data?

Member Login