Keeping you inPhormed...

[bracknellexile]

Seems that just maybe the Information Commissioner has grown a pair after all....

Information Commissioner: Phorm must be opt-in only - not great, but it's a start at least, although it completely fails to address the point that an intercept still requires the permissions of both parties (customer and web=page provider), even if the system is

Comments

[magpie_dragon]

so...
they're going to use our internet searches to advertise to us? in a...forceful mannor?

I hope I'm missing something, because otherwise I'll let you know how grocery stores work here.

[bracknellexile]

The adverts are the least of your worries m'dear. It's all the (potentially personal) data that they read to target those adverts so "forcefully" that are the real issue.

Google have been using your search data for ages. this uses every single web page you visit. Typing into Google, you volunteer to give them that data. This is a blanket watch of everything you do and everywhere you go.

[magpie_dragon]

I live in america

[spudtater]

It's a little more than the equivalent of store cards. If you want to buy something that you don't want anybody to know about, you can always not use your card. What if somebody removed the option of buying anything, from any shop, without using a particular card?

[magpie_dragon]

thats exactly where its likely to go. and it will be marketed to the public as convenience. There are already commercials helping to promote that idea. Not that this is necessarily useless to fight against but it also isn't new. Its already established especially with younger generations where they/we only use cards.

[bracknellexile]

True, you can be monitored through your credit card, store card, etc uaage b ut the point is you have a choice to use that store or that card and the Ts&Cs on those cards usually say that they may sell your data on to 3rd parties if you agree to sign up. There's nothing stopping you keeping a sack of money under the bed and never using a card or bank.

With the ISP thing, it's the blanket watching of _everything_ that constitutes the invasion of privacy that goes too far in my book. It's the equivalent of not only do the credit card people know you just bought that album from amazon, but the postman opened up the package, copied the CD and is playing it on his MP3 playrt as he delivers it to you.

[magpie_dragon]

stupid mailman. course then, I hardly ever buy cds

[spudtater]

Yeah, the patriot act is really fucking creepy.