Bad Phorm: Detectives question BT over secret trials

By Davey Winder
Friday, 05 September 2008 21:02

Market

File under About Bloody Time. At long last UK police detectives have questioned BT about the secret Phorm trials it carried out without customer knowledge nor consent. Does this mean a formal investigation is to follow?

Just a month ago iTWire reported how BT has been running secret technology trials to test the Phorm Webwise behavioral advertising system.

At the time our story was concerned with the efforts the European Union Commissioner for Information Society and Media, Viviane Reding, was making to pursue possible data protection law infringements.

Although we have not heard any more with regard to the UK Government response to her probings, the deadline of 'until the end of the month to respond' has been and gone.

Perhaps it is a coincidence, or maybe not, that we have today learned that detectives from the City of London police have this week questioned BT as "part of a probe into the covert wiretapping and profiling of the internet use of tens of thousands" during those trials.

It has emerged that officers have been examining an evidence dossier, presented to them by privacy campaigners, following a demonstration against the BT trials back in June.

BT had been running these secret technology trials to test the Phorm Webwise system without informing the customers whose data was being used and whose habits were being monitored as a result.

In fact, BT even initially denied all accusations of any such trials and went as far as suggesting that the redirects customers who complained had experienced must have been caused by malware.

We should learn if there is to be a formal investigation into the BT Phorm trials within a couple of weeks. It will depend largely upon whether the City of London police feel they have jurisdiction to investigate the crime.

Why the wait? Surely BT broke the law? And what about Phorm, how have the markets responded to the fuss? See page 2 for more...

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