The Web Knows What You Like

H ow is it that online advertisers seem to know that I'm thinking of buying a car or planning a big vacation? I find that creepy, so what can I do about it? W elcome to the world of targeting, where online ...

[Tom]

Of course, if you're using a router to connect to the internet, it's easy enough to simply block the advertising websites so you don't even SEE the ads to begin with.

[Stazi Phormistan]

The issue about ads is a red-herrings. Its the spying on your surfing that is the issue with Phorm.

Its the online equivalent of the US Postal Service opening all your letters, reading them all then building a profile on you just to better target junk mail at you.

Phorm used to be the spyware company 121 media who were responsible for one of the most malicious pieces of spyware of 2005 and 2006; the Apropos rootkit. This rootkit used stealth technology to hide itself and make it very difficult to uninstall.

The issue is really are you prepared to allow a company with a spyware past and links to the russian military (their coders are from a russian institute that works with the russian military) to spy on your browsing?