(Via Ars Technica.)

A Canadian law clinic has asked the country’s Privacy Commissioner to take a closer look at the deep packet inspection being used by Bell Canada and others. While the technology also raises net neutrality concerns, in this case the issue is privacy.

Via OUT-LAW

EDITORIAL: Critics have branded Phorm a regulatory rogue. Its targeted advertising technology will bend our laws and even break them. But these will be hairline fractures – even if Phorm’s operation makes you wince.

Via BBC

Personal details of Facebook users could potentially be stolen, the BBC technology programme Click has found. The popular social networking site allows users to add a variety of applications to their profile. But a malicious program, masquerading as a harmless application, could potentially harvest personal data.

(Via ZDNet) Tom Espiner writes

The British Computer Society has called for Phorm’s controversial targeted-advertising system to be opt-in.
…
“If you are making use of personal information, you should be asking to do so, and it’s good practice to offer opt-in,” said Evans. “If you are looking to build trust amongst customers, this is the way to do it.”
…
Evans suggested that, at a recent “town-hall meeting” organised by Phorm, the company seemed to be pushing back against suggestions that its service should be opt-in.

Via ZDNet Tom Espiner writes

The British Computing Society has criticised the government, claiming its high-profile data breaches have eroded public trust.

On Tuesday the BCS published the results of a survey of members of the public. Of the 1,025 respondents, 66 percent said their trust in government departments had decreased due to information breaches such as the loss of 25 million personal records by HM Revenue & Customs last year.

…”People inside the public sector know [it] is not terribly surprising that [breaches such as HMRC's] happened, but for people outside the public sector this was a huge shock.”

(Via ZDNet) Tom Espiner interviews The Earl of Erroll, member of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee

… Data breaches are going to occur. Which is why I think that we need to not keep all our eggs in one basket. This is where I really do agree with the Information Commissioner that we need to limit the amount of data that is being kept by any one about us. Because if its not there it can not be taken or it can not be miss used, so why are we keeping a whole lot of stuff we don’t use. We always think that we can mine it later to catch the bad guys, actually I think more good guys get hurt than you ever catch bad guys in many of these cases. …

(Via ZDNet) Matt Loney writes

It will take another data scandal before tougher sentences are imposed for data misuse, according to the information commissioner.

“I called on the government some time ago to increase the penalty to a prison sentence. The government did listen and agreed to increase the penalty to a prison sentence in the Criminal Justice [and Immigration] Bill, but a last-minute, very intensive lobbying campaign… meant it got watered down. The result is that the prison sentence remains but will not be implemented straight away, which means we will need another scandal before it is implemented.”

(Via The Times) Jonathan Richards writes

Senior Whitehall figures are to be held personally responsible if their department loses or mishandles personal information, under a range of measures designed to increase data security.

Officials across the public sector, including permanent secretaries and chief executives of NHS trusts, are to be forced to take data protection “much more seriously” under proposals due to be laid out by Gus O’Donnell, the Cabinet Secretary.

In the coming weeks Mr O’Donnell is expected to present the findings of a report on data security. The report was commissioned by the Prime Minister in the wake of the loss of 25 million child benefit claimant records by the HMRC in November.

(Via The Sun) Anthony France writes

A ruthless rapist found victims by getting a job as a care worker and trawling a council’s database for vulnerable young girls.

Simeon Kellman, 43, used computer records to identify teenagers who had just come out of the foster care system. … Father-of-two Kellman began his vile campaign after landing a care worker job with Greenwich Council in South East London. Cops say he made a “substantial” number of computer searches on profiles of former foster children.

From The Register:

BT’s covert trial of Phorm’s ISP adware technology in
summer 2007 involved tracking many thousands more
customers without their knowledge than previously
reported, it’s emerged.
…
Today Phorm said the 2007 trial was actually performed
on “tens of thousands” of lines. It refused to provide
a specific figure, but at the absolute least there are
38,000 BT Retail customers unaware their
communications have been allegedly criminally
intercepted in the last two years. The number could be
as high as 108,000.

We asked a Phorm spokesman why it doesn’t believe
people have the right to know how likely it is they
were part of a secret test. “We’re just not going to
disclose that,” he said. “They were BT customers and
you have to ask BT about that.” A BT spokesman refused
to provide a figure….