Berners Lee in Phorm Storm

Posted Monday 17th March 2008 by Tom P in SEO.

The creator of the internet Sir Tim Berners Lee has aired his concerns with the way in which his brainchild is being manipulated. His main argument was based around the ways in which ISPs are set to monitor customer’s surfing habits in order to provide ‘more efficient’ advertising. These personalised adverts are supposed to come as a result of web surfing habits and hence only advertise items and services that you are likely to use. Lee has flat out stated that if his ISP introduces any system of this ilk he will change providers instantly.

It is the web creator’s belief that his personal data and web history were his property and no software, or company should have access to it without his express permission. The system that is currently being developed is named ‘Phorm’, who believe that they provide effective advertising solutions securely; Berners Lee however has questioned their motives. ‘Phorm’ in response have argued that they are trying to make the internet ‘a more vibrant and interesting place’ although surely the profits from unique advertising make up a large constituent of their ‘vision’.

The ‘Phorm’ system is part of a growing trend of advertising tools that deliver personalised adverts. Facebook recently underwent criticism for trying to implement the technology in its social networking site, using peoples on and off line habits to create personalised advertising profiles. The negative coverage they received forced them into a position of backtracking and providing an opt-out clause for all users. ISPs could face a similar backlash if they follow the course of ‘Phorm’.

Berners Lee was worried that the impartiality of ISPs would suffer under this kind of advertising pressure. He provided the example of a water company stating that he would want his water with ‘no strings attached’, for Lee, the internet is a utility just like water and should not come with controls and monitoring that are intrusive to users. The crux of the issue is consumer rights and how they will be affected by the recording of personal data. On a wider plain, Berners Lee was worried about the future of the internet generally. He says that ‘Phorm’ is a clear attempt to steer the internet in a certain direction. It should be considered what implications this may have in the future, more of an effort should be made in understanding the shape of the internet before we start to manipulate it.

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