Let’s pick up one of Danny G.’s favorite topics this morning—privacy, or violations thereof.
According to The New York Times, a data miner called Phorm, has created a tool that can track every single online action of a given consumer, based on data from that person’s Internet service provider.
Phorm is right now trying to negotiate deals with telephone and cable companies, like AT&T, Verizon and Comcast, that provide broadband service to millions. Phorm’s pitch to these companies is that its software can give them a new stream of revenue from advertising.
Is it hard to imagine a day when people stop using the net due to these hideous invasions? Or is that notion insane, and these concerns the tiny province of civil libertarians?
Yikes.
As long as these people operate behind closed doors, and consumers don’t find out, no one will care.
I’d pay for a service that would take over my web browser for a few hours a day (say @ 3 am while I’m asleep) and do some really random surfing and searches just to fuck with a program like Phorm.
Got an email from them about some WebEx meeting they’re having for bloggers.