BT and Phorm
4 April 2008
This briefing can be downloaded in PDF format [68Kb]
What is BT’s involvement with Phorm?
Earlier this year BT Retail, along with Virgin Media and Talk Talk, confirmed that it had entered into an agreement with Phorm, a digital technology company. The agreement with Phorm enables BT Retail, and the other ISPs that have signed up, to offer customers a new free internet feature called Webwise.
What is BT Webwise and how does it work ?
BT Webwise checks for known fraudulent websites and warns customers if they visit one, with no need to download or install any software. It also replaces generic adverts on participating websites with adverts more relevant to customers’ interests, based on the web sites they visit and the things they search for. Prior to the announcement, BT thoroughly researched Webwise and was encouraged by the very positive consumer response to the service.
What does this mean for customers’ privacy?
The privacy and security of our customers’ data is of the utmost importance to us. Any information on users’ browsing is completely anonymous. The system does not store personally identifiable information, URLs, IP addresses or retain browsing histories. Search information is deleted almost immediately and is not retrievable. Webwise does not scan webmail pages so emails on Gmail, Yahoo mail or Hotmail are not scanned. Secure pages such as banking websites and web forms, such as online registration or sign-up forms, are not scanned. None of the personal information often contained in form fields is, therefore, ever captured by the system. No data is passed outside BT's network.
Webwise privacy standards have been verified by an external auditor Ernst & Young and leading privacy advocate Simon Davies, MD of 80/20 Thinking, has also carried out a Privacy Impact Assessment on Webwise technology.
What next?
BT plans technical trials of the Webwise service in mid April. At no stage will any of our customers be compelled to use the service, at trial or at any other point in the future. Any service we introduce will be optional.
The date of the trial will be announced on our website 24 hours in advance. We will be inviting around 10,000 BT broadband customers to take part in the trial. The trial invitation will be presented through a special web page that will appear when those customers start a web browsing session. At this point, those customers invited have three options; they can choose to switch on BT Webwise in effect ‘opt in’, choose not to take part, or choose to find out more information.
The
www.bt.com/webwise site contains detailed information on the service, as well as a one-click option to switch the service off, which can be activated at any point during the trial.
Has BT tested this product previously?
BT conducted two small scale technical tests of a prototype advertising platform in June 2007 and over 2 weeks in September-October 2006. These tests were specifically conducted to evaluate the functional and technical performance of the platform. Absolutely no personally identifiable information was processed, stored or disclosed during either trial. As with all Service Providers, it is important for BT to ensure that, before any potential new technologies are employed, they are robust and fit for purpose.
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