The Foundation for Information Policy Research (FIPR) has today sent the Home Office in-depth legal analysis [pdf] of the Phorm behavioural advertising system. The analysis has been produced by FIPR’s General Counsel (and ORG Advisory Council member) Nicholas Bohm, and complements the technical analysis produced by Richard Clayton earlier this month [pdf]. The analysis [...]

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Last month, we announced that Phorm, the company whose technology delivers targetted ads based on where you visit on the web, were planning to hold a public meeting to face their critics. Details of the meeting have now been announced.
When: Tuesday, 15 April, 1830 - 2030
Where: The Lecture Theatre, Brunei Gallery, School of Oriental & [...]

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Richard Clayton has now published his technical analysis of Phorm. There’s a good introduction to it on his Light Blue Touchpaper blog.
Phorm explained the process by which an initial web request is redirected three times (using HTTP 307 responses) within their system so that they can inspect cookies to determine if the user has opted [...]

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On Wednesday, at their invitation, I went to Phorm’s offices in Central London. I was accompanied by ORG Advisory Council member (and Foundation for Information Policy Research Treasurer) Richard Clayton. We were there, on Phorm’s invitation, to find out how the systems that they are selling to BT, Virgin and TalkTalk actually work. Over the [...]

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It’s difficult to tell which of today’s developments the UK’s major ISPs should be more worried about - the fact that Sir Tim Berners-Lee has publicly stated that he would change his ISP if it started employing systems, like Phorm, which could track his activity on the internet, or the news that UK digital rights [...]

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Update: An interim Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) has now been published by Phorm. You can read it here [pdf]. The PIA, produced by 80/20 Thinking Ltd, predicts the media and public backlash against Phorm, and leaves several questions unanswered, including “Can an external attacker gain access to the required information to re-link [an] individual [with [...]

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Trustguide reports on our views, beliefs and needs regarding trust, security and privacy in relation to new technologies. We like it very much - It should be required reading for politicians! Over the last 15 months HP and BT, in conjunction with the DTI, hosted workshops across the UK on a broad range of [...]

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Scrambling for Safety 8 is taking place on the 14th August at University College, London, where the focus will be on the Home Office’s access to keys and communications data code of practice consultations.
Those unable to make the main event are invited to the Jeremy Bentham pub on University St., WC1, to join attendees and [...]

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We have seen attempts to add more legislation to voice over IP in America so I guess it was only a matter of time.
“The Guardian has learned that police and security agencies have been lobbying ministers and senior officials, expressing fears about the potential for voice-over-internet-protocol technologies to hide a caller’s identity. Their aim? To [...]

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The Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act Part III gives law enforcement the power to serve notices requiring that encrypted material be “put into an intelligible form” (or as everyone else would say, decrypted). Under some circumstances the notices can require that encryption keys are handed over. At present Part III is not in force, but [...]

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