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One campaigning point regarding the vile Phorm deep packet inspection system has been to suggest to major websites that they consider whether they should request that Phorm do not spy on their visitors. In recent months, some big players in the internet have done just that - Amazon and Wikipedia are two stand-out examples.

Since the BBC run one of the most visited sites in the internet, a number of people have written to enquire whether the BBC might do the same (and of course at a slightly more trivial level, the BT-Phorm system is branded BT-WebWise - very similar naming to the BBC's entirely different Webwise).

The indefatigable Alex Hanff has written about a recent FOI request made to the BBC (BBC on Phorm - FOI Response).  The BBC's response is lengthy, and does indicate that the BBC is unhappy with the Phorm system.  Unfortunately the BBC is in cahoots with the behavioural ad targeters Audience Science (at least for overseas visitors), and it has to be said that the BBC doesn't have a stellar track record when it comes to protecting the privacy of visitors to its websites (BBC to stop using Omniture to track UK visitors).  As Alex says in his article:

The BBC should simply do what is the right thing to do (as illustrated in the FOI request documents) and that is to Opt-Out of allowing Phorm to profile their web users activities.  Quite aside from the privacy concerns, the BBC charter states that the BBC must make their decisions after considering how those decisions will impact the market and public, particularly with regards to innovation and competition.  For the BBC to allow Phorm to profile their users activities, the BBC will be allowing Phorm unprecedented access not only to web behaviour but also to viewing habits (via iPlayer usage), political and religious opinion (via news) and a whole host of other sensitive data which can be inferred from the BBC services the general public choose to use on a day to day basis.  This is incredibly dangerous and gives a single company access to a quantity of data that has never been aggregated at such a level before now.

 In relation to this FOI request, there's an interesting blog article at the BBC - snappily entitled "Interesting Stuff 2009-05-22: BBC & Phorm FOI Request".

I had originally expected to be unable to ride this event, due to work commitments.  After several days of really quite bad weather, I was quite pleased to have been able to ride the event, as the wind dropped (and I am sure it was considerably more gentle that the forecast 14mph!), and the sun came out.

Judging from the readout on my HRM, the ride out to Stony Stratford was  quite an effective warmup, especially when keeping the speed up negotiating the roundabout over the A5!

As usual, I found the outward leg rather hard.  Indeed, at one point in the climb up to Nash, I was down to 12 mph, a most definitely unintended consequence of  trying out using lower gears than usual on the climb.  To be honest, I suspect that carrying an extra 4kg bodyweight can't be helping me on this course!  Upon rounding the turn roundabout, I was rather dismayed to see Tony Parks getting rather close - this seemed to spur both of us on - it took until after Beachampton to catch me, and once he did catch me, he only took another 4 secs out of me.

I think this might have been my best ride thus far on this course in 2009, but on the other hand, I had thought I'd do a bit better than this...perhaps this is the fate of being at least a little competitive! 

In addition to the potholes that opened up over the winter, the course had a generous addition of mud (presumably deposited by a tractor), which made one corner in particular a little awkward! 

Results

HT: Grumpy Twin

The UK Government's obsession with knowing what we've done, what we're doing, and what we're planning on doing is not only intrusive but borders on the dangerous.  The Daily Telegraph reports (ID cards: taxman allowed access to personal data) that tax official will have access to data held by the ID card system.

HM Revenue and Customs staff will be able to examine people's financial transactions on the scheme's database and search for evidence of undeclared earnings or bank accounts.

It turns out that the ID card system records each time an ID card is used in identity verification for a large purchase, mortgage or even to open a bank account.  Another use of the database will be to when ID checks for eligibility to work in the UK are made.  It seems that companies will be able to access information on ID card holders for 60p a pop.

I bet the surviving Stasi operatives are green with envy.

For more on issues on the ID card scheme, visit No2ID.net