Phorm dumped twice in a week – shares drop 50%

July 8, 2009 Jim Connolly

The news keeps getting worse and worse for Phorm; the online behaviour tracking firm. After BT, the UK’s former state owned telco dropped plans to use Phorm, now UK ISP TalkTalk has done the same. Shares in Phorm have now dropped by over 50%!

What is Phorm?

Pronounced “form“, Phorm offers ISP’s software, which collects users surfing data, in order to target adverts. Phorm tracks almost every site that a user visits and uses keyword tracking, to build a profile of the user.

There’s also an ongoing debate, regarding just how a web user actually gives their consent to Phorm. Understandably, the service has proven to be highly controversial.

Virgin media still keen on Phorm

However, Phorm have stated that Virgin Media are still reviewing their software.

9 Responses to Phorm dumped twice in a week – shares drop 50%

Chris Luzader
July 8, 2009 | 5:49 pm

Tech News Blog – Phorm dumped twice in a week – shares drop 50% http://bit.ly/8J0Dh
Carrie
July 9, 2009 | 9:12 am

Phorm is snooping. The sooner these guys go broke, the better!
SandPiper
July 9, 2009 | 9:19 am

Hey,

This is great news Jim. Phorm has to fail. If it don;t then we are all going to suffer. This kind of spying on user accounts is the total opposite of what most users want.
- Jim Connolly
  July 9, 2009 | 9:27 am
  
  Phorm looks to be having some problems now in the UK, but they are still going strong in other places. The reason BT was interested in the first place, is that these kind of targeted ads are worth a fortune to advertisers. So, if phorm do go under I’m pretty sure someone else will step in sooner or later with the same kind of thing. I hope I’m wrong.
J D
July 9, 2009 | 5:40 pm

Virgin Media has confirmed it has no immediate plans to roll out Phorm system.
- Jim Connolly
  July 9, 2009 | 7:08 pm
  
  Can you point to an official link for that? Thanks.
J D
July 9, 2009 | 9:40 pm

Jim Connolly

The statement is in the first few lines of the Linked article, for any Official Confirmation you need to talk to the author.
Jim Connolly
July 10, 2009 | 5:41 am

JO,

Thanks for that. I hope it’s genuine – Virgin ‘usually’ jump on any opportunity for good PR.
Ami
July 17, 2009 | 5:57 pm

That’s great. I don’t mind seeing ads for the things I search for because I have nothing to hide, but there are those who do and we all have the right to privacy!

Any gmail users? Gmail does something similar by reading key words in your emails to come up with ads for the users.