Phorm, the controversial "deep packet inspection" company has been getting a bad press. So much so that Kent Ertugrul, Phorm's CEO, has set up a website to counter it. Good points Kent, you've certainly convinced Martyn Warwick, as he explains.
The trouble all started when it was revealed that Phorm's software had been tested by the UK's incumbent telco, BT, without the knowledge or consent of those selected to be unwitting guinea pigs in an experiment devised to test the efficacy of software designed to snoop on subscriber's web-browsing habits.
Since then things have got progressively worse, with the European Commission (EC) announcing that it is to sue the British government over its failure to protect the privacy of Internet users by not enforcing data protection legislation, and adding that it is considering taking Phorm itself to court over its "Webwise" behavioural profiling software.
Then to put the top hat on things, it emerged yesterday that Phorm has been in secret and collusive contact with the Brown administration in the UK in an attempt to gain what it described as "informal guidance" as to whether or not the Phorm "Webwise" behavioural profiling software is legal in the UK. The government also allowed the company to make changes to an official Home Office document that is ostensibly the foundation upon which a policy to protect the privacy of Internet users will be built (see - British Government "colluding" with Phorm).
In response, a rattled Kent Ertugrul, Phorm's CEO, has set up a website, stopphoulplay.com, that is designed to be a locus for all those (perhaps we'll be able to count them in due course, but I wouldn't bet on it) that support Phorm and think Webwise is democracy in action and the best thing since sliced bread. Unfortunately though you won't be able to leave a calling card. In full keeping with the sort of democratic style espoused by Phorm, the website does not permit visitors to post comments. Strange that.
Stopphoulplay.com bills itself as "the website that hits back at the privacy pirates smear campaign against Phorm", and on it Mr. Ertugrul makes a series of remarkable attacks on those people and organisations he claims have "orchestrated" a "smear campaign" against the company by "distorting the truth and misrepresenting Phorm's technology."
He writes, "Over the last year Phorm has been the subject of a smear campaign orchestrated by a small but dedicated band of online "privacy pirates" who appear very determined to harm our company. Their energetic blogging and letter-writing campaigns, targeted at journalists, MPs, EU officials and regulators, distort the truth and misrepresent Phorm's technology. We have decided to expose the smears and set out the true story, so that you can judge the facts for yourself." Do take a look. It's instructive and entertaining.