Just when one storm regarding Phorm – a system that tracks the habits of web users to online ads can be more firmly targeted at them – dies down, another rises.
This time it’s EU commissioner Viviane Reding who wants answers from the British government as to whether the system breaches European data regulations. Three British ISPs (TalkTalk, BT and Virgin Media) have already signed up to use the service, and BT is due to start trialing it again, following two earlier trials which were conducted without the consent of customers, although the British Information Commissioner ruled that no action could be taken against BT for those because it would have been too complex to explain to customers.
