Phorm boycott urged by ORG

The Open Rights Group (ORG) has asked several web companies to rule out ever using the Phorm advertising system.

Phorm, otherwise known as Webwise, is a targeted advertising system intended to provide advertising relevant to individual surfers.

ISPs such as BT, Virgin Media and TalkTalk all have plans in place to use the system in the near future.

Campaigners including the ORG have continually criticised the system as they believe it is an invasion of privacy.

The letter has also been signed by Alexander Hanff and Richard Clayton, the treasurer of the Foundation for Information Policy Research.

"You may already be aware of our view that the Phorm/Webwise system is illegal. Communications cannot be lawfully intercepted, as this system does, without the informed consent of both the sender and receiver," the letter reads.

Phorm has always insisted that it doesn't keep any data that could identify an individual and that if anyone doesn't want to be involved then they can simply opt out of the system.

The open letter is addressed to companies such as Microsoft, Google/YouTube, Facebook, AOL/Bebo, Yahoo, Amazon and eBay and asks for a public declaration that the Phorm system will not be used.

Phorm said that many of the intended recipients of the open letter used advertising systems similar to Webwise.

"We are aware of the letter and note that the vast majority of recipients use or offer interest based advertising," a Phorm spokesman said.

"Many of them have, like Phorm, demonstrated their commitment to user privacy as signatories to the Internet Advertising Bureau's interest-based advertising good practice principles," the spokesman continued.