NNSquad - Network Neutrality Squad
[ NNSquad ] Internal BT report apparently reveals Phorm-related violations (Wikileaks)
[ "The court clerk will now read the 19 million counts against
the defendant ... "
-- Lauren Weinstein
NNSquad Moderator ]
------- Forwarded Message
From: "Richard M. Smith" <rms@bsf-llc.com>
To: <lauren@vortex.com>
Subject: British Telecom Phorm PageSense External Validation report at Wikileaks
Date: Thu, 5 Jun 2008 11:27:11 -0400
Via Slashdot:
http://www.wikileaks.org/wiki/British_Telecom_Phorm_Page_Sense_External_Validation_report
Summary
British Telecom "Phorm" report: PageSense External Validation Report by BT
Retail Technology, dated 15 Jan 2007. 52 scanned printed pages with
occasional pen highlights, 17Mb.
The internal British Telecom report shows that the carrier committed at
least 18,875,324 allegedly illegal acts of interception and modification
during its controversial covert "Phorm" trials.
The report also indicates that personal identifying IP addresses were likely
used, despite BT previously assuring the public and ICO that no personally
identifiable data was used. IP addresses are recognised by the Data
Protection Act.
In addition to the 18 million regular advertising injections or hijackings,
it appears charity advertisements were hijacked and replaced with Phorm
advertisements.
"The advertisements were used to replaced [sic] a 'default' charity
advertisement (one of Oxfam, Make Trade Fair or SOS Children's Villages)
when a suitable contextual or behavioural match could be made by the
PageSense system."
A "cookie" was covertly "dropped" onto 7,000 unsuspecting BT customers
computers in collaboration with Phorm (Media121).
"Estimations were that approximately 7,000 had received a cookie"
The report concludes that the "opt-out" system would not work, since BT
customers find themselves opted back in every time they changed computers or
wiped their cookies:
"The latter issue regarding opt-out could not be specifically trialled
either since [BT] conducted this test as a stealth trial".
------- End of Forwarded Message