WRITTEN ON April 14th, 2009 BY William Heath AND STORED IN Data nitwittery, Foundation of Trust, What do we want?
The EU is to take action against Britain over its poor implementation of online privacy, says Reuters.
The European Commission started legal action against Britain on Tuesday for what the EU executive called a failure to keep people’s online details confidential. EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding said the action related to how Internet service providers used Phorm (PHOR.L) technology to send subscribers tailor-made advertisements based on websites visited…”Technologies like Internet behavioural advertising can be useful for businesses and consumers but they must be used in a way that complies with EU rules,” Reding said in a statement.
“We have been following the Phorm case for some time and have concluded that there are problems in the way the UK has implemented parts of the EU rules on the confidentiality of communications,” Reding said.
It really has come to something when we need the EU to remind us how to treat British people with respect. But we’ll take help from wherever it’s offered I guess.
Wibbi the British government obeyed, fully and willingly, the privacy and human-rights laws to which it is subject.
Wibbi Britain set European standards on privacy and respect for the individual, instead of having to be dragged up to scratch by the European bureaucracies.
How can we require Europe to get its house in order on issues like accountability and expenses when we’re increasingly reliant on them to make sure our own government obeys the law?
Noting in passing – as reported by El Reg at theregister.co.uk/2009/04/15/kip_meek_berr/page2.html – that “there is no conflict of interest” in any way by anyone. If Phorm gets the go-ahead the government does not have to build web-tracking into their uber-database. Wait for the private sector to implement it and get the info using RIPA. Job done. All the government has to do is… nothing.