Hi,

I assume everyone has heard of P3P (Platform for Privacy Preferences), so
I'll skip explaining in detail what it is. If you don't know, just skip this
message *g*.

I've got one Problem with this, and PHP may solve it:

P3P has absolutely no Application-Server/Scripting support. It's just a
simple XML-File that tells the User what (personal) data the Website
collects, and is Requested with "hard-coded" relative URL's.
Assume a PHP Website with URL-based Session's. A User Request the Homepage
(/index.phtml) - he's anonymous, collected data is anonymous. The (static)
P3P File tells the User that the collected data is anon. Well, now the User
logs-in via a Form-Submit and reloads the Page (/index.phtml). The
information is set in the PHP-Session, the User is shown other
(personalized) Content, but the P3P-File is still the same, telling the
user, that the collected data is still anonymous - this is (or may be) wrong
now.
P3P has no mechanism to handle this case, in P3P you can only set a
different policy for (sub-)folders (differrent URI's). The problem is, that
the GET Request is absolutely the same, it doesn't matter if the user is
logged-in or anonymous (well, it would be a security hole, if someone is
able to find out, if a user is logged-in when (s)he takes a look at the URL,
hm?).

Sure, it's possible to copy all "templates" to another subfolder and link
logged-in users to this one, but why should I do so? The advantage of using
templates (a I define them) is that they just show any content. They don't
care if this content is personalized or not. The content is "prepared" by
the "business logic" - programmed in PHP - and stored in a database. This
way, I'm able to use the same "templates" for logged-in and anonymous
users - well, half the work to do...

I already talked to some P3P-Members, they think, it is no Problem, but
didn't provide a solution - at least none I was able to understand *g*.

I think, P3P should (must!!) be supported by the Application-Server or
Scripting Language. It should be possible to catch a request for a P3P file
from the Webserver, match Information from the Session, and generate the
correct XML-contents on the fly or assign a matching P3P-File.


Links:
P3P - http://www.w3.org/P3P/
One of our Website's that will have the described problem. (Not coded in
PHP - we do quite the same thing with PHP and the BroadVision Application
Server): http://www.siemens.de/solutionprovider/dialog


Bruno Baketaric
Development Director

WOB Interactive AG
Werner-Heisenberg-Strasse 6a
68519 Viernheim
Fon +49 (0)6204.970-274
Fax +49 (0)6204.970-211
E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
ICQ: 818981
http://www.wob.ag
http://www.bbn-advertising.com
Part of: BBN The multicultural agency



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