"We spied on 36,000 customers using the internet," admits BT

[Roy Lanek]

We spied on 36,000 customers using the internet, admits BT
by Matthew Hickley, April 4 2008

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/news.html?in_article_id=556068&in_page_id=1770


    BT tested secret "spyware" on tens of thousands of its broadband customers
    without their knowledge, it admitted yesterday.

    It carried out covert trials of a system which monitors every internet
    page a user visits.

    Companies can exploit such data to target users with tailored online
    advertisements.

    An investigation into the affair has been started by the Information
    Commissioner, the personal data watchdog.

    Privacy campaigners reacted with horror, accusing BT of illegal
    interception on a huge scale. Yesterday, the company was forced to admit
    that it had monitored the web browsing habits of 36,000 customers.

    The scandal came to light only after some customers stumbled across
    tell-tale signs of spying. At first, they were wrongly told a software
    virus was to blame.

    Executives insisted they had not broken the law and said no "personally
    identifiable information" had been shared or divulged.

    BT said it randomly chose 36,000 broadband users for a "small-scale
    technical trial" in 2006 and 2007.

    The monitoring system, developed by U.S. software company Phorm, accesses
    information from a computer.

Etc., see the URL.

/Roy
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