Never mind data portability, solve data privacy first!

Data portability has been climbing the Tech Buzztrends for awhile, but this BBC note from Sir Tim Berners Lee implies to me that we need to get the privacy horses sorted out before the portability coach is harnessed up:

Sir Tim said he did not want his ISP to track which websites he visited.

"I want to know if I look up a whole lot of books about some form of cancer that that's not going to get to my insurance company and I'm going to find my insurance premium is going to go up by 5% because they've figured I'm looking at those books," he said.

Sir Tim said his data and web history belonged to him.

He said: "It's mine - you can't have it. If you want to use it for something, then you have to negotiate with me. I have to agree, I have to understand what I'm getting in return."

This is probably my main interest area in the development of VRM - my data has a value, and I'm damned if the Internet is going to be a system that extracts it from me without some benefit. And long before I am worried about its portability, I want some guarantees as to its privacy. In particular, Sir Tim was worried about Phorm, a company which tracks web activity to create personalised adverts - the BBC says that its:

...system offers security benefits which will warn users about potential phishing sites - websites which attempt to con users into handing over personal data.

The advertising system created by Phorm highlights a growing trend for online advertising tools - using personal data and web habits to target advertising.

In our view the best way for the ISP-level Web to go is as a neutral supplier of service, as Sir Tim notes:

"I myself feel that it is very important that my ISP supplies internet to my house like the water company supplies water to my house. It supplies connectivity with no strings attached. My ISP doesn't control which websites I go to, it doesn't monitor which websites I go to."

More worryingly for us, it looks like our ISP, BT, has signed up for Phorm. The thing is, I am already paying for my ISP connection, I really, really don't want advertising models on a paid-for service.

Well, we objected strenuously to Facebook Beacon, and are now no longer on that site. Rest assured we shall evacuate any provider that tries to foist Beacon, or Phorm, or whatever comes next, on us.

Update - I've just found out that there is an e-petition against Phorm, over here.

Update II - I am seriously enjoying the Slashdot discussion on this

Update III - the FIPR have written a letter to the Information Commissioner alleging this is illegal.