BT to begin controversial Phorm trials

BT is set to begin trials of its controversial advertising technology ‘Phorm’ today.

The Phorm system, developed by Webwise, works by tracking the online browsing behaviour of users. The data can then be used to display ads relevant to the user’s interest on their page.

Previous trials of the system were carried out without the customer’s consent, and came under fire for allegedly breaching data protection laws. This time however, users will be given the choice to ‘opt-in’ to the system, instead of being automatically included in the trial.

According to BT, Phorm will collect data based on individual’s behaviour, but promises that users will remain anonymous. Each customer’s browser will be assigned a randomly generated number, which will act as the users ID.

A spokesman from BT said that he hoped at least 10,000 customers would take part in the trial, which is expected to run for around four weeks. 

If trials of Phorm prove successful, BT hope the system will allow them to target ads more effectively, thus improving advertising revenue. As early trials of the technology suggest however, the project could require the use of up to 300 servers to reach all customers.

 "If it goes according to plan it's our expectation that we will roll it out across the entire broadband customer base," said the BT spokesman.

He added that if uses choose to “opt out” of the tracking system, they will not have their browsing habits profiled – however it is not clear as to weather this option will be present in the final version.