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Phorm, formerly known as 121Media, is a digital technology company known for its contextual advertising software. Phorm is incorporated in Delaware but relocated to Singapore as Phorm Corporation (Singapore) Ltd in 2012.〔 Founded in 2002, the company originally distributed programs that were considered spyware, from which they made millions of dollars in revenue. It has since stopped distributing those programs after complaints from groups in the United States and Canada, and announced it was talking with several United Kingdom Internet service providers (ISPs) to deliver targeted advertising based on the websites that users visit. Phorm currently partners with ISPs Oi, Telefonica in Brazil, Romtelecom in Romania,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.smartfinancial.ro/smartfinancial/it+%26+c+business/myclicknet+de+la+romtelecom+-+noul+serviciu+gratuit+pentru+clientii+clicknet+romtelecom )〕〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704243904575630751094784516.html )〕 and TTNet in Turkey. In June 2012, Phorm made an unsuccessful attempt to raise £20m for a 20% stake in its Chinese subsidiary. The company's proposed advertising system, called Webwise, is a behavioral targeting service (similar to NebuAd) that uses deep packet inspection to examine traffic. Phorm says the data collected will be anonymous and will not be used to identify users, and that their service would even include protection against phishing (fraudulent collection of users' personal information). Nonetheless, World Wide Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee and others have spoken out against Phorm for tracking users' browsing habits, and the ISP BT Group has been criticised for running secret trials of the service. The UK Information Commissioner's Office had voiced legal concerns with Webwise as it is currently implemented, and has said it would only be legal as an "opt-in" service, not an opt-out system. The European Commission had called on the UK to protect Web users' privacy, and opened an infringement proceeding against the country in regard to ISPs' use of Phorm. Some groups, including Amazon.com and the Wikimedia Foundation (the non-profit organization that operates Wikipedia and other collaborative wiki projects), have already requested an opt-out of their websites from scans by the system. Phorm has changed to an opt-in policy. According to Phorm’s website, the company will not collect any data from users who have not explicitly opted into its services. Users must provide separate consent for each web browsing device they use.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url= http://www.phorm.com/phorm-service-privacy-policy )〕 == Company history == In its previous incarnation as 121Media, the company made products that were described as spyware. 121Media distributed a program called PeopleOnPage, which was classified as spyware by F-Secure.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.f-secure.com/sw-desc/peopleonpage.shtml )〕 PeopleOnPage was an application built around their advertising engine, called ContextPlus. ContextPlus was also distributed as a rootkit called Apropos,〔 which used tricks to prevent the user from removing the application and sent information back to central servers regarding a user's browsing habits.〔 The Center for Democracy and Technology, a U.S.-based advocacy group, filed a complaint with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission in November 2005 over distribution of what it considered spyware, including ContextPlus. They stated that they had investigated and uncovered deceptive and unfair behaviour. This complaint was filed in concert with the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Internet Center, a group that was filing a similar complaint against Integrated Search Technologies with Canadian authorities. ContextPlus shut down its operations in May 2006 and stated they were "no longer able to ensure the highest standards of quality and customer care". The shutdown came after several major lawsuits against adware vendors had been launched.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Spyware-Rootkit-Maker-Stops-Distribution/ )〕 By September 2007, 121Media had become known as Phorm,〔Compare first pages of Phorm's (annual report for 2006 ) (PDF) and (a report from 2007 ) (PDF). Both retrieved on 2009-04-23.〕 and admitted a company history in adware and stated it had closed down the multi-million dollar revenue stream from its PeopleOnPage toolbar, citing consumers’ identification of adware with spyware as the primary cause for the decision. In early 2008 Phorm admitted to editing its article on Wikipedia. Phorm admitted removing a quotation from ''The Guardians commercial executives describing the opposition they have towards its tracking system, and deleting a passage explaining how BT admitted misleading customers over covert Phorm trials in 2007. The changes were quickly noticed and reversed by the online encyclopedia's editors. Phorm currently resides in Mortimer Street, London, UK with staffing levels of around 35. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Phorm」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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