Yet another BT Phorm trial revealed

 

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Posted on 1 Apr 2008 at 13:49

BT trialled Phorm's browsing and profiling technology as far back as 2006, according to reports.

The Register claims to have acquired technical documents relating to a secret trial of the Phorm platform targeting 18,000 BT broadband customers between 23 September and 6 October 2006.

The report claims Phorm, then known as 121Media, purchased advertising space on popular recruitment, finance and weight loss websites, targeting adverts at BT customers using their browsing profiles.

According to The Register, the technical documents reveal that customers were not told about the trial, as gauging whether the advertising platform would affect their browsing experience was one of its goals.

The legality of such a move is still under debate with the Foundation for Information Policy Research claiming the Phorm platform is illegal under the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act.

BT revealed last month that it had conducted secret trials of the platform in June 2007, angering some customers who are now threatening to sue the telecoms company.

BT refused to answer questions concerning the number of trials it has conducted, referring back to the following statement.

"BT can confirm that a small scale technical test of a prototype advertising platform took place for two weeks during September - October 2006. The purpose of the test was to evaluate the functional and technical performance of the platform."

"It is important for BT to ensure that before any new technologies are deployed, they are robust and fit for purpose. No personally identifiable information was processed, stored or disclosed during this test."

Phorm has not responded to our requests for comment at the time of writing.

Author: Stuart Turton