[bluecar1]

Originally Posted by bluecar1

he is my MP, will drop him a letter, i am in brum tonight in a hotel, so plenty of time to email him and suggest if he want i can meet to explain more

just sent the below via theyworkforyou, now wait and see what comes back

thanks to inphomationdesk for the template

peter

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Dear Derek Wyatt,

As one of your constituents I would like to draw your attention to the issue of privacy related to a new advertising system called BT WebWise and it is promoted by a company called “Phorm”, this system may soon be utilised by Internet Service Providers in this country. BT have already done 'secret' (and illegal!) trials in 2006 and 2007.

Virgin Media and Talk Talk are currently in talks with Phorm with a view to introducing the system later this year.

The technology which causes greatest concern is that of Deep Packet Inspection and its use by an advertising company. This unit is installed by Phorm but gifted to the ISP to circumvent data protection act issue of a third party processing data on the ISP's network - the ISP has no access to it so cannot test, check or verify anything about the unit - and it inspects every packet of data which passes through it whether the customer is opted in or out this is shown on the BT network diagram (if opted out the customer is just not served adverts).

The alleged idea of this technology is to read ALL internet activity by a customer and use the information to better target on-line advertising. However, there are grave concerns over the method of encoding used to keep user’s details anonymous and over the level of permission needed for this software to install itself and begin running.

Everyone who works from home, be they home workers or members of Parliament or anyone in-between would find their data being subjected to the kind of inspection only intended for law enforcement activities and which would only ever be available to a judge following due legal process. Confidential material worked on by yourself or your colleagues, critically confidential business, personal or even security information could well be intercepted and examined. This includes constituants emails to and from yourself if a constituant uses a web based email service (although phorm do say they have a list of 100 webmail systems they do not look at, but bear in mind that is a small fraction of the number or web mail system out there and they will not publish which ones they are or how to get others added)

I am suspicious of this software, which bears so much similarity to “spyware”, indeed there are reports that some employees of Phorm are former spyware developers. I do not trust these people to have so much unprecedented access to my
internet usage information, my preferences, habits and political views.

if you dig into the background of phorm they changed their name from 121media last year , 121media was responsible for a nasty spyware application called "people on page" which used root kit technology (very difficult to remove as it embeds itself very deeply into windows).

if you dig into Kent Ertugrul (phorms CEO) you find most of his ventures involve collecting personal information on people

if you dig into the programing team behind WebWise you find "The development team for the new software was recruited from Moscow's elite Lebedev Institute of Precision Mechanics and Computer Engineering, a vital part of of the Cold War spying effort and still a centre for developing Russia's 'national security' computer systems." - Mail on Sunday article

the information presented by both phorm and BT to the ICO and HO has been lacking important detail and talked about general principles and there have been a number of news articles exposing these facts, look at http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/06...horm_meetings/ or https://nodpi.org

there is also an early day motion about this by don foster http://edmi.parliament.uk/EDMi/EDMDe...px?EDMID=35552

and a petition on the PM's website http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/ispphorm/ with nearly 15,000 signatures since march

i have also asked BT if there are sufficient controls to prevent my children from accepting this service on my behalf and changing my contract with BT (as to accept webwise you have to accept a change to the privacy clause of the contract) as there is no check on the opt-in / opt-out website (which is runn by phorm and at a hosting centre outside the main BT network to ensure the person enacting the initial change to the contract is the account holder as there would be issues allowing phorm (a third party) access to the BT customer database to verify the username and password of the account holder, i have recieved the answer it is my responsibility, this is clearly unacceptable

Feel free to ask for any further information and links.

I would ask that you convey my concerns to the relevant political authorities and ensure that, if Phorm is allowed to progress at all, that hefty restrictions are placed on its ability to intrude on consumer privacy.

I would like permission to post your reply on cable forum ( http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/12...-page-675.html) feel free to come in and join the debate

you will see there has been a lot of information release regarding this under a FOI request on the forum

Yours sincerely,