UK Prime Minister will not investigate Phorm
Share
UK-- The government has told privacy campaigners that it will not intervene in the argument surrounding the introduction of Phorm's behavioural targeting technology.
In response to a 20,000-strong petition on the prime minister's website, the government said that it was the responsibility of the Information Commissioner's Office's (ICO) to enforce existing privacy laws.
The petition urged the prime minister to investigate Phorm's technology, which tracks the websites a user visits in order to match them with relevant advertising, and ban all ISPs from introducing it if it was found to be illegal.
In a statement, the government said it was “committed to ensuring that people's privacy is fully protected” and pointed to the ICO's stance on the subject.
The government said that “it would not be appropriate to second guess” the decisions of the ICO, and said that the independent body would be responsible for enforcing privacy laws.
Author: James Verrinder
Related links:
Analysis: Behavioural targeting's insight failure >
EC starts legal action against UK over Phorm
