BT is pressing ahead with its trial of Phorm,
thecontroversial behaviour-based advertisement serving
technology, despite mobile network operator
Orange saying it is dropping plans to use Phorm.
This follows two secret tests last year of the Phorm technology
on unwitting BT internet customers.
A BT spokesman said the trial started on 30 September. He said
BT aimed to recruit 10,000 users by invitation to BT Retail
customers, not from the public.
The BT spokesman said BT had decided not to disclose how many
people it had asked to take part so far, nor how many had joined
the trial. He expected the results to be made available once it had
been assessed. He declined to give a publication date.
Ofcom, the communications regulator, has said it is crucial that
customers "opt-in" to schemes that collect information about their
online activities to build up profiles of their interests and
social networks. In a letter to the European communications
commissioner's department, it set out compliance guidelines for
Phorm, and any ISP that used Phorm to target adverts at
customers.
Phorm has been at pains to explain itself.
It defended itself at an unprecedented public "town hall
meeting" in London, and recruited civil liberties watchdog Privacy
International to
audit its software and processes.
No other system that delivers advertising based on behaviour
profiles, notably Google's AdWords service, has faced similar
scrutiny.
The US Federal Trade Commission held hearings a year ago into
behaviour profiling systems for marketing purposes. It then issued
guidelines advising operators to warn people when their web
activities were being recorded, and give them a chance to
"opt-in".
UK must clarify legality of Phorm web-tracking system
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