Phorm seems to be stirring up a right controversy. Phorm is a way of serving up relevant advertisements to surfers. Not a bad thing, you may think. But consider how it does this.
How much privacy intrusion is needed to serve an advert tailored to someone? Certainly a history of surfing habits would be the minimum. And perhaps records of online purchases. And why not get the IP as well. Then store all that data for when it's needed.
I put this on a level with cold callers. If I want to buy stocks and shares, windows, conservatories, electricity and so on then I will research the subject myself. I would never buy from a stranger on the phone offering these sevices. The same with online purchases - I research the subject and decide where I want to buy from.
Recently, Amazon requested Phorm stay away from their sites. Now Wikipedia has done the same. Three thumbs up to these guys - it is not necessary and is probably against EU law anyway.
If the default option is to opt-in if it is wanted then it might just be bearable (and ignoreable). If we are all in by default then it is a gross intrusion of privacy and should be resisted.
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