Press Release: House of Lords Round Table Event to Discuss Behavioural Advertising - Released 4th March 2009

Thu, 5 Mar 2009 09:49:24 +0000

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*The Internet Threat: Who needs privacy when we can have relevant ads?

Online Privacy and the Interception of Internet Communications

Wednesday 11th March from 10am-12am Committee Room 20, House of Commons*

This Roundtable event provides an opportunity for MPs and Peers to discuss
the issue with leading experts. Notable guests will include Sir Tim Berners
Lee OM KBE FRS FREng FRSA, 3COM Founders Professor of Engineering in the
School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology,
Professor in the Computer Science Department at the University of
Southampton, and Director of the World Wide Web Consortium. Sir Tim is, of
course, best known for inventing the World Wide Web.

Other guests include:
* Mr Nicholas Bohm
General Counsel Foundation for Information Policy Research

* Mr Caspar Bowden
Senior Security & Privacy Officer, Microsoft EMEA Region

* Mr Jim Killock
Open Rights Group
* Mr Robert M. Topolski
US Federal Communications Commission panel member

BT were invited but declined. Phorm have been invited and may attend.

The meeting will be chaired by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer.

The internet is at a turning point and policymakers have a critical role in
shaping its development. We are spending more and more of our social and
business lives online, but the freedom of information and the online privac=
y
that we need are under threat. In this Roundtable Event, renowned experts
discuss the future of the internet and the role of Parliamentarians in
defending online privacy.

Should Internet Service Providers be allowed to read their customers online
activity so as to select advertisements for them? Or should they be expecte=
d
to operate like the Royal Mail and the telephone companies, who simply
convey messages between communicating parties? Can websites expect that
their communications with their visitors and customers won=B9t be intercept=
ed
or read, or should network providers have the final say over how
communications are treated?

This debate has been running since February 2008 when BT and two other
internet service providers signed exclusive agreements with Phorm, a compan=
y
who provide both the equipment to read users online activity and the
advertising exchange to present ads to them based on the websites they
visit. BT=92s secret trials of the technology in 2006 and 2007 caused
controversy; they trialled the scheme again in 2008 and as recently as last
month confirmed that they still intend to proceed to full rollout.

A petition on the Prime Minister=92s web site expired today (March 4th 2009=
)
after running for almost 12 months in the top 5 petitions on the site with
over 21 000 signatures at close of business.

Press are invited to attend and should contact no2dpi at googlemail dot com
for more details.

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<div class=3D"gmail_quote"><b>The Internet Threat: Who needs privacy when w=
e can have relevant ads?<br><br>Online Privacy and the Interception of Inte=
rnet Communications<br><br>Wednesday 11th March from 10am-12am Committee Ro=
om 20, House of Commons</b><br>

This
Roundtable event provides an opportunity for MPs and Peers to discuss
the issue with leading experts. Notable guests will include Sir Tim
Berners Lee OM KBE FRS FREng FRSA, 3COM Founders Professor of
Engineering in the School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute
of Technology, Professor in the Computer Science Department at the
University of Southampton, and Director of the World Wide Web
Consortium. Sir Tim is, of course, best known for inventing the World
Wide Web. Other guests include: * Mr Nicholas Bohm General Cou=
nsel Foundation for Information Policy Research * Mr Caspar Bowden<b=
r>Senior Security &amp; Privacy Officer, Microsoft EMEA Region

* Mr Jim Killock Open Rights Group * Mr Robert M. Topolski US Fede=
ral Communications Commission panel member BT were invited but decli=
ned. Phorm have been invited and may attend. The meeting will be cha=
ired by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer.

The
internet is at a turning point and policymakers have a critical role in
shaping its development. We are spending more and more of our social
and business lives online, but the freedom of information and the
online privacy that we need are under threat. In this Roundtable Event,
renowned experts discuss the future of the internet and the role of
Parliamentarians in defending online privacy. Should Internet
Service Providers be allowed to read their customers online activity so
as to select advertisements for them? Or should they be expected to
operate like the Royal Mail and the telephone companies, who simply
convey messages between communicating parties? Can websites expect that
their communications with their visitors and customers won=B9t be
intercepted or read, or should network providers have the final say
over how communications are treated? This debate has been
running since February 2008 when BT and two other internet service
providers signed exclusive agreements with Phorm, a company who provide
both the equipment to read users online activity and the advertising
exchange to present ads to them based on the websites they visit. BT=92s
secret trials of the technology in 2006 and 2007 caused controversy;
they trialled the scheme again in 2008 and as recently as last month
confirmed that they still intend to proceed to full rollout. A
petition on the Prime Minister=92s web site expired today (March 4th
2009) after running for almost 12 months in the top 5 petitions on the
site with over 21 000 signatures at close of business. Press are inv=
ited to attend and should contact no2dpi at googlemail dot com for more det=
ails.
</div>

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