New petition on number10.gov.uk - Stop Phorm from using DPI

[#1]

Hi All
I know a petition has already been and gone, and several more are dotted around, but the one that recently finished I felt didn't give a clear explanation of our concerns and the others are not on the PM website so Gordon Brown is unlikley to ever hear about them.
Then I found this:
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/dataprofiling/
We the undersigned petition the Prime Minister to prevent private companies profiling users' internet stream from within ISPs
Advertising companies are planning to monitor private internet traffic from within Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in order to build profiles of users and deliver advertising known as Behavioural Targeted Advertising (BTA).
This petition is not against BTA generally. Due to the extreme personal sensitivity of data carried over the internet together with major problems providing safeguards and oversight when data is collected, not to mention maintaining network integrity and security, we believe the only sensible option is to prevent companies from profiling private internet traffic.
Legislation already exists and some experts have stated the practice could be illegal but currently laws seem to be ignored and unenforced. We would like the Prime Minister to both ensure that the existing laws are sufficient to stop this practice and also that the Police and regulators are in a position to enforce them.

[#2]

Personally, I'm  ... not against BTA generally. 
Regardless of whether this is Google, BT, PN or the infamous Phorm.

[#3]

Sorry to pour cold water on this but the government will turn a blind eye to any company that does this provided they pay taxes.
Simple solution is to boycott ISPs that emply such technology and if it achieves blanket adoption simply cancel your connection and do without the net at home, that way the ISPs will go out of business and what data will the companies have to monitor then?
That would be more effecivie than 200 of these petitions

[#4]

The Government does not draft all the laws. There are Private Member Bills.

[#5]

A lot of which get vetoed so in this instance I think the pound is mightier then the vote.
Let the ISPs that want to make money in this way fall and the ones that survive will realise that customers are not happy with such business practices and will cater to the customer.

[#6]

The ISP's will just think that they were insufficiently ingenious in selling personal information.
So they will just try harder - but still fail.
I think it is significant that some of the most popular web sites don't carry any advertising e.g. BBC, Wikipedia - even Google (on it's home page).
Unfortunately, PN's excursion into cherrypicking their customers means that their profit margin per customer is reduced, making interference
with the data stream more attractive in order to boost earnings.

[#7]

I think PN is suffering at the hands of its desparate owner.

Phorm, and its communist-like censorship of its own forun threads discussing the subject have significantly damaged BT's brand so its looking for secure revenue from an ISP that had a loyal following.
Funny how the previous MD went less than three months before this product refresh isn't it? Maybe the previous guy was not compliant with BT orders and wanted to run the company independently so they made his life difficult so he would leave and then replaced him with someone more compliant.
I agree with you axis about it becoming more attractive to interfere with the data stream and I think thats BT's plan, if the customer is locked in for 18 months in return for an unmetered service they can pretty much do what they want as the customer would have to pay up to leave so a win win situation.
Oh well, I'm on a rolling one month contract with the ISP I am now with so have the freedom to move if I want to.

[#8]

the result http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page19318

[#9]

pierre, That is for the old petition, not the New petition at: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/dataprofiling/

[#10]

I got a reply - of sorts from the PM

Quote

You signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to "Stop ISP's from breaching customers privacy via advertising technologies." The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and you can view it here: http://www.number10.gov.uk/Page19318 Prime Minister's Office Petition information -http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/ispphorm/

Bit of a waste of space - it's all lies anyway.
Maybe they got an MP to take time off from filling in their expenses to write this.

[#11]

Crucibleofevil!, That is for the old petition, not the New petition at: http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/dataprofiling/