Phorm ad-targeting: approved by EU data law

Phorm, the ad-targeting system, that has caused controversy surrounding the privacy of the service has been accepted by the UK government and has been said to conform with European data laws, but the government have warned Phorm that it must be more descriptive in their information to the customers about the programme and they have to make the opt out more straightforward.

The bruhaha – as documented by the Guardian Technology blog began when some of Phorm’s partners which included BT, were uncovered to have tested Phorm’s targeting technology without giving customers notice that they were doing so. The EU was then called in and they wanted to see clarification about how Phorm’s system worked and how they went about informing their customers, The EU demanded this information.

This resulted in the UK governments Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform today delivering a statement to the EU that Phorm users “will be presented with an unavoidable statement about the product and asked to exercise choice about whether to be involved”. Phorm’s success or failure will be a great learning outcome for the rest of the industry as the technology is breaking new grounds, although it is treading a fine line between targeting and privacy.

Read the full article in the guardian