"Privacy is an essential and neglected right" - Bowles
April 20, 2009 3:21 PM
Originally published by Sharon Bowles MEP
Originally published by Sharon Bowles MEP
Phorm technology tracks web users' surfing history to create targeted adverts.
Sharon Bowles has welcomed the news that the European Commission will be taking the UK to task over the use of a behavioural advertising technology known as 'Phorm' by internet service providers (ISPs).
Information Society and Media Commissioner Viviane Reding was acting upon complaints from UK MEPs and members of the public. Phorm technology works by constantly analysing customers' web surfing to determine users' interests and then deliver targeted adverts when users visit certain websites.
BT has admitted that it tested Phorm in 2006 and 2007 without informing customers. According to the Commission, this use of Phorm breaches EU e-privacy guidelines. The Commission's action is a pre-litigation stage of proceedings; the Commission can ultimately take the UK to the European Court of Justice over the issue if satisfactory action is not taken by the government.
The European Commission's action on protecting user privacy came as Home Secretary Jacqui Smith called on councils to stop using surveillance powers to catch people for trivial offences. Research by the Liberal Democrats has shown that the powers, designed to fight terrorism, have been used over 10,000 times in England and Wales in the last five years.
Sharon Bowles said:
"Privacy is an essential and neglected right. It is good news for all of us that we are finally seeing some abuses of privacy in the public and private sectors alike being taken to task.
"Britain has been slowly falling into a surveillance society. The hoarding of personal information in recent years has become an addiction. It is welcome to see the government row back on the abuses by local councils. Now it is time to see some real change within central government as well in their attitude to personal surveillance."
Commenting on the Commission's action against Phorm, Sharon said,
"There are European rules on privacy protection for a reason. Commissioner Reding has been pursuing this for a while now and I am glad to see she is ramping it up to the next stage.
"Without the Commission's intervention it is clear that the UK would have simply carried on allowing the ISPs to do as they liked."
ENDS
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