"WiW" <wiw@invalid.invalid> writes:

> FYI: It appears that Phorm (a targeted advertising system which taps into
> ISP networks) will be setting its own persistent for most every
> website the user visits. It appears as though the may be named
> "webwise". One technical description of the system and this aspect can
> be found via:
>
> http://www.lightbluetouchpaper.org/2...ebwise-system/
>
> or if you want to go straight to the report:
>
> http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rnc1/080404phorm.pdf

Very interesting. Thanks for the pointer.

It might be worth having a site that uses in exactly the same
format as Phorm's , so that it breaks if/when they strip them
out. At the very least this mechanism might provide a way for sites
to display a: "your connection is being monitored by Phorm with the
approval of your ISP" banner as part of an "opt out" campaign.

Of course, site owners (i.e. many readers here) may think this is the
way to go to get revenue, but the whole thing unsettles me deeply.

--
Ben.