Story: Phorm attacks critics over 'illegality' claims

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Initial Response

My initial response to this news item is 'Phorm over my dead body', so I will vote with my feet. Actually, I am suspicious that my ISP is already installing the additional hardware.

I have read a technical brief here

http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rnc1/080404phorm.pdf

about how it works and, even if (and that's a big if) it's not objectionable now, it could easily be extended to be so. In addition, it seems we must take a great deal on trust, something that is in short supply these days. Furthermore I would object to any take it or leave it change to my agreement with my ISP's.

Surely Phorm can also be compromised, possibly without much difficulty.

Can anyone clarify, is Phorm really blocked if its cookie is blocked, as suggested in the above technical brief, or will Phorm still have a look but then just deliver random adverts rather than targetted ones.

For those interested there is a meeting in London University with Phorm next Wednesday, see here for details

http://www.8020thinking.com/events.html

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