Third Phorm trial starts tomorrow

 

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By Matthew Sparkes

Posted on 29 Sep 2008 at 11:14

BT's third Webwise trial will begin tomorrow, with 10,000 random customers asked to participate.

"BT customers are being invited to take part in the trial, which will take place over a number of weeks. Following successful completion of this trial and an appropriate period of analysis and planning, it is currently expected that Phorm's platform will be rolled out across BT's network," says an announcement released by Phorm today.

Two previous trials have been conducted in secret by the companies, causing controversy among customers and privacy advocates.

Pressure groups such as Bad Phorm have sprung up to counter the scheme, and the City of London Police questioned BT over the legality of the experiments.

The third test was expected to start in June this year, when it was announced that the trial was to begin imminently. However, the launch was delayed by the surrounding controversy.

This negative attention has now subsided somewhat after the police announced last week that it would not be conducting a formal investigation. The trial also got the go-ahead from the Information Commissioner's Office earlier this year - as long as it was conducted on an opt-in basis. The company is still under the watchful eye of the EU, though.

Although the latest trial is finally going ahead, Phorm has been forced to concede to the UK Government and make its Webwise system opt-in, potentially limiting its user base significantly.

The upcoming trial will see some 10,000 randomly-selected BT customers shown an "interstitial page" asking them for permission to monitor their browsing activity. In March, PC Pro asked BT what it would do if none of its customers chose to participate.

"I don't think that's going to be the case," was all that a BT spokesperson said at the time.

However, in a survey conducted by the Cable Forum website, 95% of people claimed that they would indeed opt-out of such a system.

In an effort to attract as many users as possible, BT is to highlight any potential security advantages of Webwise on the opt-in page. Webwise "provides extra protection from suspected fraudulent websites," claims the explanation of how the system operates.

Users wishing to subsequently opt-out of the system after agreeing to the trial can do so by following the instructions listed here.