BT defends secret trials as backlash builds

Stuart Turton Read more October 7, 2009

A BT executive has appeared on BBC Breakfast to defend the company’s secret trials of Phorm’s advertising platform.

BT defends secret trials as backlash builds

In recent weeks it’s been revealed that BT conducted two secret trials of the Phorm technology on its customers, one in 2006 involving 18,000 customers and one in 2007.

“We absolutely were not spying on our customers,” claimed Emma Sanderson,BT’s director of value-added services, when asked about the implications of the trial.

“BT conducted a test of a new advertising service with a very small proportion of our customer base. Those customers were randomly selected at the time, it was completely anonymous no personally identifiable information was shared. No information was stored or divulged.”

The response will be familiar to anybody who’s been following the story in recent weeks, and Sanderson continued to trot out the party line when pressured about the legality of the trials.

“We don’t believe it’s illegal. We’ve sought extensive legal advice prior to conducting this trial. Customers absolutely can trust BT and I’m here to reassure them that this is a service that is looking to provide them with an improved browsing experience. We have not let our customers down.”

However, when questioned on how customers could determine whether they’d be involved in the trial, Sanderson issued a surprising response. “We do not know whether they were participating in the trial or not… it should reassure them.”

You can watch the interview here.