Britain as Stasiland - A nation of Inphormers?

Hot on the heels of the UK government climbing down on its desire to have a national database tracking every citizen's digital foootsteps, comes a potential explanation - they've been colluding with datamining company Phorm all along, Sez the Beeb:

In an e-mail dated 22 January 2008, a Home Office official wrote again to Phorm and said: "I should be grateful if you would review the attached document, and let me know what you think."

Some e-mails were sent from the Office of Security and Counter Terrorism at the Home Office.

In January 2008 the Home Office thanks Phorm for comments and changes to its draft paper, which show the company making deletions and changes to the document.

The Home Office official wrote to Phorm: "If we agree this, and this becomes our position do you think your clients and their prospective partners will be comforted."

Baroness Sue Miller, Liberal Democrat spokeswoman on Home Affairs, told BBC News: "My jaw dropped when I saw the Freedom of Information exchanges.

"This is untrue and misrepresents the way in which the British legal system works"
- Phorm chief executive Kent Ertugrul on accusations of collusion

"The fact the Home Office asks the very company they are worried is actually falling outside the laws whether the draft interpretation of the law is correct is completely bizarre. [said the Baroness]"

Not if you see it as a collusion in where both the Government and the ISPs seem to want to go. Is this an attempt to builds a Digital Stasiland, to add our electronic footprint to being the Most Video'd Nation on earth? ("Stasiland" is a rather good book about how pervasive - one person in every 70 - the East German state's secret police, the Stasi, were.)

Of course, it didn't help in the end though.....

Update - Phorm has come out swinging at its critics, in a website called 'StopPhoulPlay', and it makes a number of personal attacks on various privacy campaigners. Interesting tactic in PR war over this stuff....... we are settling into our ringside seat with eager anticipation.