Phorm and Cookies

[David Biggins]

=20

> -----Original Message-----
> From: ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk=20
> [mailto:ukcrypto-admin@chiark.greenend.org.uk] On Behalf Of=20
> Charles Lindsey
> Sent: 20 March 2008 22:31
> To: ukcrypto@chiark.greenend.org.uk
> Subject: Phorm and Cookies
>=20
> Just suppose you are happy to be opted in to Phorm. But if=20
> you also (as is a good and common practice) delete all your=20
> cookies at the end of every session (or overnight, or=20
> whatever), then next time you will get a brand-new random-ID=20
> cookie which will again start recording your preferences from=20
> scratch, and your adverts will continue to be as untargetted=20
> as ever :-( .
>=20

All current major browsers allow the addition of addins that can inspect
and modify incoming cookies from the server and can inspect and modify
outgoing cookies in the request before the request is made.

One way of defeating this thing would perhaps be to poison the well.

If a large enough proportion of the population were to install addins
which could offer suitable randomization of the id on every single
transaction, this would presumably effectively wreck the usefulness of
the collected data to the advertisers.

Dave