EU Questions UK On Phorm

By Digital Trends Staff August 6, 2008

EU Questions UK On Phorm

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.

However, the Information Commissioner ruled that ISPs will have to obtain permission from customers before conducting any more trials.

Commissioner Reding reportedly write to the British government in the middle of last month and a spokeswoman for the Department of Business told the BBC:

"We are working with a number of departments on a response."

There has been widespread opposition to Phorm from privacy groups, but an e-petition on the Downing Street site calling for it to be dropped has only drawn 16,000 signatures to date.

Editors' Recommendations

Digital Trends Staff

Digital Trends has a simple mission: to help readers easily understand how tech affects the way they live. We are your…

Computing

Best Dell laptop deals: Cheap laptops starting at $280

The Dell XPS 13 9315 on a table against a window.

If you're looking to pick up a new laptop, then Dell is one of the best laptop brands out there and has a multitiude of optoins for you to pick from depending on your needs. For example, Dell has both Alienware and G-Series which are some of the best gaming laptops on the market, and the Dell XPS lineup are some of the best laptops on the market and are made to compete with the MacBook. But that doesn't mean that Dell only has high-end gear for you to pick, and there are absolutely some great budget laptops and starter options.
Of course, having so many options can be a bit overwhelming for somebody who isn't familiar with Dell or the laptop market, which is why we scoured the Dell website for our favorite picks and listed them below. So, be sure to see if there's anything in here that tickles your fancy, and if not, check out some of these other great laptop deals as well.

Dell Inspiron 15 -- $280, was $330

Computing

iMac deals: New, renewed and refurbished iMac computers

Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display review close

If you're in the Apple ecosystem and need a desktop computer rather than something like a MacBook, then you'll want to go for the Apple iMac, which is one of the best all-in-one computers on the market. There are quite a few screen sizes and specs to pick from, and if you're willing to go for a renewed option, you can get some older, yes still powerful, iMacs for a great price. Even if you aren't, there are still some great Apple deals you can take advantage of to save yourself some money, which is why we went out and scoured the internet for the best deals we could find.
Apple 21.5-inch iMac (2018) Renewed -- $409, was $460

Even cheaper than any of the MacBook deals going on, this Apple 21.5-inch iMac (2018) might be a few years old but it offers plenty of juice for the price. That's the beauty behind many iMacs -- they last a long time thanks to offering reliable hardware and the benefits of MacOS, which tends to mean they stay fast for awhile. In the case of the 2018 21.5-inch iMac, you get a 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor paired up with 16GB of memory which is a great set of specs for ensuring you can get plenty of work done.

Mobile

How to transfer photos from an iPhone to a computer

The Apple iPhone 15 Plus's gallery app.

As the old saying goes, the best camera is the one you always have with you. If you're like most iPhone users, that means you've likely amassed a sizeable collection of photos on your device. However, while Apple's Photos app is a great way to manage and view your photo library, it's never a good idea to keep all your eggs in one basket. After all, suffering a lost or broken iPhone is painful enough without also losing all your precious digital memories in the process.

Even if you're backing up your iPhone to iCloud or your computer, it's a good idea to keep your photos backed up separately. After all, opening a folder or a photo management app is a much easier way to get at your photos than trying to extract them from an iCloud or iTunes/Finder backup, which requires either restoring them to another iPhone or relying on special software tools.