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SevenOfMark

Listed below are comments made by SevenOfMark between Saturday, 23rd May 2009 and Thursday, 4th June 2009.

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Phorm's phlat product launch 12:24pm on 04 Jun 2009 @ #10 (pigeonfriend)

Not quite correct i'm afraid.

Phorm works by taking a copy of everything that comes down to you through your ISP and reading it. They are in cahoots with the ISP. Once people understand this, it is easy to also understand the massive level of protest against the model.

The analogy of the post office opening your mail to find out what you are interested in is spot on.

It then uses your interests to send you the ads it thinks you might click on. Most people do not have an issue with the advertising part of this, it's how they profile you in the first place that must be stopped.

This 'new' product merely substitutes suggested links for the ads, the profiling (called deep packet inspection) remains the same. It is likely that this 'webwise discover' is really aimed at encouraging ISP's to join up.

You can find out more here :-

http://www.inphormationdesk.org/
Phorm's phlat product launch 6:27pm on 03 Jun 2009 Not much difference between tailored content and tailored ads is there? Your tailored content would be links to 'selected' (i.e. paid for) sites.

Same old stuff. Same old con. Spyware trying to go 'mainstream'. It does say a lot about this country that they even think they can get away with it.

With regards to survey results; you could prove Stalin was a lovable old rogue by asking the right questions.
Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request 9:17pm on 27 May 2009 Clarification to 143. The BBC UK public service sites do not use Audience Science.
Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request 9:11pm on 27 May 2009 This is interesting.

http://www.dmnews.com/ISP-level-behavioral-targeting-stands-in-the-spotlight/article/137291/

Audience Science rejects the Phorm model as basically too intrusive.

The BBC considers Audience Science unsuitable for it's sites, but chooses not to opt out of phorm?
Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request 7:39pm on 27 May 2009 I believe that BT promise 24 hours notice before trials start.

I also think that the phorm opt-out mechanism can take up to a week to become operative.

Auntie could face 6 days of embarrassment.
Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request 11:23pm on 26 May 2009 @ 94

Well it's not ideal, but we are also urging the BBC to do something. Opt-OUT.
Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request 10:55pm on 26 May 2009 Now: On TV, On Radio and Online.

When the BBC comes to renew it's charter in 2016: Online, On TV and On Radio?

If all online content is then subject to man-in-the-middle profiling for
advertising purposes, you may get your charter, but you won't get a licence fee.

If your content is being used for advertising purposes anyway, you will be told
to obtain more value from it.

We are about to cross the Rubicon. Do we allow snoop-boxes onto our future,
primary means of communication? In a few years TV, Radio and Telephones will all
be 'Online'.

I believe the BBC would be serving the public good by opposing this interception. It will
also be safeguarding it's own future at the same time.
Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request 5:54pm on 26 May 2009 From http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/help/3281815.stm

(News sources)

"Any content specified as Reuters content is the intellectual property
of Reuters. Any copying, republication or redistribution of such Reuters content, including by cacheing, framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters."

One for the BBC lawyers. Is the BBC not acting to prevent 3rd parties making derivitive works of non-BBC copyright?

Ditto Digital Look Ltd, The London Stock Exchange, The Frankfurt Stock
Exchange and others.

Has the BBC checked with these suppliers for their thoughts on the issue?

Furthermore, Phorm should really be asking web sites to opt-IN to their service. It would remove, at a stroke, many of the problems being discussed here. Phorm could then reasonably imply consent for use of copyright and setting cookies in that site's domain etc. (Although it still would not allow that site to 'give away' copyright it does not own).

However, they only provide an opt-OUT. If a site, such as the BBC, has to opt-OUT in order to maintain the status quo, and this results in bad publicity for phorm, then they only have themselves to blame.

Failure of Amazon or Wikimedia or the BBC to opt-IN would not make much of a story.

The fact that very few sites would opt-IN is again phorm's problem. They need to provide a product that people actually want, not one that has to wrap itself in promises of anti-phishing (redundant for most users) or "better adverts".
Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request 4:47pm on 23 May 2009 I really think the BBC should examine it's server logs for the past few days.

Are there any visitors using the ISP Korea Telecom?

If so, you probably need to update your cookie policy.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/privacy/cookies.shtml

I see nothing there to warn your users that various 3rd parties may set cookies pretending to come from the BBC. You know this is likely to happen as you have not opted out yet.
Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request 02:38am on 23 May 2009 "Our vision - To be the most creative organisation in the world."

This will also make you the biggest target in the world for DPI based behavioural advertising. You need to make some sort of a stand now if you expect the existing funding model to continue.

The BBC is very important in this debate, by it's very nature it has to be.

Crunch time. Do the right thing.

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