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August 6, 2008

Gov't to address EU concerns over Phorm

Home Office consulted over ad tracking

Jeremy Kirk

The UK government plans to respond next month to a European Commission query regarding whether Phorm's Webwise targeted internet advertising system violates European Union data protection regulations, a spokeswoman said today.

The Webwise system tracks a person's online history to deliver targeted advertisements related to the content the person has viewed.

Targeted advertising platforms such as Webwise and NebuAd are under scrutiny by the UK and US governments, which are concerned about how those systems handle personal information and impact privacy.

Last month, the Commission sent a query to the UK's Department for Business Enterprise and Regulatory Reform (BERR). The department is currently consulting other UK agencies such as the Home Office and the Information Commissioner's Office, which oversees data protection issues, said a BERR spokeswoman.

Protestors call bad Phorm outside BT meeting

BT to trial Phorm ad system

The text of the Commission's query, sent by the Information Society and Media Directorate-General, hasn't been made public. BERR may decide to publicly release its response depending on interest, the spokeswoman said.

Webwise has come under fierce criticism from privacy activists who maintain that the system poses a data security risk. Phorm maintains the system protects web surfers' anonymity while allowing ISPs to gain new revenue from online advertising.

Webwise attracted further controversy after it was revealed that BT conducted trials of the system in 2006 and 2007 without informing users. Some campaigners are pushing UK law enforcement to investigate if the trials violated data protection regulations.

So far, the government has given Webwise the thumbs-up as long as users are required to opt in to the system. The Information Commissioner's Office said in April it will monitor BT's trial, while the Home Office has said the systems don't violate the law as long as internet service providers obtain the consent of users.

BT said on Wednesday it plans to conduct another trial soon, but did not specify a date. Virgin Media said it is still evaluating Webwise, while Carphone Warehouse could not be immediately reached.

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