CyberLaw Blog

Archive for the ‘Phorm’ Category

British Firm Phorm Trudges Through the Deep Packet Storm: “Deep packet inspection — the secret harvesting of granular details about individual internet activity so companies can make better guesses about what to sell you — has been facing a slow death in the U.S. But British firm Phorm, which provides a similar service abroad, has so far managed to steer through the death-inducing scrutiny and negative press that has enveloped NebuAd.

(Via Wired News.)

Police quiz BT on secret Phorm trials: “

RIPA? Never heard of it officer…

City of London police questioned BT earlier this week as part of a probe into the covert wiretapping and profiling of the internet use of tens of thousands of BT customers during tests of Phorm’s adware system.…

“

(Via The Register - Public Sector.)

Phorm: Our business is fine, honest: “

UK.gov promises legal explanation for secret trials this month

After its share price slumped to a new low, Phorm today sought to allay investor fears about the ISP-level adware business by repeating assurances that a critical third trial with BT will go ahead.…

“

(Via The Register - Comms.)

NebuAd suspends Web-monitoring plans: “

Silicon Valley start-up NebuAd has suspended plans to deploy a controversial program that displays ads based on the monitoring of Web activity while Congress reviews privacy concerns, according to a report in The Washington Post.

The secretive company, which intercepts and performs deep-packet inspection of what’s flowing through a

…”

(Via The Iconoclast.)

BBC NEWS | Technology | Home Office questioned over Phorm: “Home Office questioned over Phorm “

Questions about how the government has dealt with complaints about an ad-serving firm that monitors web traffic are being asked ahead of an EU enquiry.

In the House of Lords Lib Dem peer Baroness Miller has asked a series of questions about the nature of talks between the government and Phorm.

Critics have asked why the Home Office has not intervened over secret Phorm trials BT conducted in 2006 and 2007.

The EU has asked the UK government to clarify the situation.

Phorm secretly tracked Americans too: “

2005 hot spot trials exposed

Exclusive Phorm has also deployed its behavioral ad targeting technologies in the US of A.…

“

(Via The Register - Comms.)

Google tells Congress it’s not Phorm: “

‘Our users trust us’

Google wants you to know that in targeting online ads, it doesn’t use Phorm-like deep packet inspection. But it still refuses to acknowledge its own massive threat to the privacy of humankind.…

“

(Via The Register - Comms.)

Phorm papers reveal BT’s backwards approach to wiretap law: “

Would you trust these men with your network security?

Exclusive BT’s long-held claim that legal advice said its Phorm trials did not breach wiretapping laws came under renewed scrutiny today, as documents revealed the firm approached government experts after it had secretly co-opted 18,000 broadband customers into the advertising targeting system.…

“

(Via The Register - Comms.)

UK questioned on online ad system: “The UK government has been given a month to respond to EU concerns over Phorm.”

(Via BBC News.)

Congress quizzes world+dog over data pimping: “

Phorm letter

US Congressman Ed Markey and his anti-data-pimping brigade are back on the warpath.…

“

(Via The Register - Public Sector.)