No Phorm in a teacup on privacy

Phorm, in its previous incarnation as 121media, was responsible for one of the nastiest pieces of spyware of 2005 and 2006 – the Apropos rootkit (Internet service providers put user privacy at risk, 12 May). This spyware was a nightmare to uninstall. Just ask anyone who tried to do so.

Add this to the fact that Phorm and BT already ran trials in 2006 and 2007 without customers’ knowledge or consent, and you have a company with a very nefarious history.

The real question is whether or not people should trust a company with such a history in spyware to intercept their communications. I don’t, and I doubt if other readers would if they were fully informed about its history.

Name withheld