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One interesting aspect of the plans by Phorm, a company building an advertising targeting system, is that it has found a way to make cookies do what so many feared they could: track every page you visit on the Internet.
Phorm has deals to work with the three largest Internet service providers in Britain, and it is trying to establish similar arrangements in other countries including the United States. Because Phorm’s system can actually watch all the traffic to and from your computer, it can modify cookies in ways that haven’t been used before.
Phorm Tracking Is Drawing Criticism [bits.blogs.nytimes.com]
I'd like to decide what ads I want to see.
I can think of a number of ways this could go badly wrong. On a shared computer, I'm surfing for a secret gift for the wife. The wife uses the computer at a later time finding ads being delivered which might give away the secret.
OK, I know you can think of all kinds of connotations.
Being smart with technology can sometimes be too smart, imho.
Earlier stories
The Breadcrumbs You Leave: Should You Be Concerned
[webmasterworld.com...]
Digital rights group say Phorm advertising system is illegal in the UK
[webmasterworld.com...]
But it does say there's an opt-out, I definately will be.
That annoys me though, should you be given the option to opt-in?
As I recall, the chip was being marketed to industry for exactly this purpose. In the end the serious concerns expressed from many quarters about the invasion of privacy - and the fear of an ensuing loss of confidence by the public in all things online - curtailed its release.
Am I right in thinking this - does my memory serve me well? If so, what's different between then and now? The growth and strength of the online economy?
Regardless, it's obvious that the change in attitude towards personal privacy is being driven by the search for profit.
Syzygy
