BT begins new Phorm trial
- Added:
- Sep 30, 2008
BT has begun a third trial of the controversial behavioual targeting ad system Phorm, following months of delays.
From 30 September, a sample group of BT's customers will be invited to opt in to a trial Phorm’s Webwise system, which displays ads based on web users’ surfing habits.
Previous trial of the technology ran without the consent of customers which prompted complaints from rights groups who said this broke laws governing the interception of data.
The third trial was originally scheduled for March but has been repeatedly delayed.
Users that have opted to receive ads using Phorm will see a special webpage appear when they start browsing the web.
In a statement BT said customers would be able to opt in, opt out or ask for more information via the pop-up page.
BT said the trial would run for more than four weeks and that it hoped 10,000 customers would take part.
Earlier trials of the technology suggested that BT would have to commit a lot of resources, potentially 300 servers, to use the system for all customers.
BT said it would also use the Webwise system would also help to tackle fraud by warning people when they are about to visit a page that has been flagged as dangerous.
If the trials are successful, BT said it would make another announcement prior to starting the full roll-out of the service.