Re the
BT Contact link on the BT Webwise page:
Back in early March I asked a question of BT Webwise using this link - it must have been the
http://www.webwise.bt.com/webwise/contact.php
page. It took someone a while to reply, but here it is, received on March 13 2008:
<quote, with personal details edited out>
Dear Mr. (My surname)
Thank your for your email and apology in delay in responding.
I can confirm that on the 14 Feb BT, Talk Talk and Virgin Media all
confirmed that we had entered in to agreements with Phorm, enabling us
to offer to our customers a new free internet feature called Webwise.
Webwise provides an additional level of protection against malicious
websites and ensures fewer irrelevant adverts. In essence a safer and
more relevant browsing experience. Prior to the announcement BT
thoroughly researched Webwise and was encouraged by the very positive
consumer response to the service.
Clearly our customer's privacy is extremely important to us. Information
on users browsing is completely anonymous, it doesn't gather personally
identifiable information, doesn't store URL's, IP addresses or retain
browsing histories and the raw data used is deleted in real time - by
the time the page loads. Webwise does not scan webmail pages so your
emails on Gmail, Yahoo mail or Hotmail are not scanned. Secure pages
like your banking websites and web forms like any online registration or
sign-up forms are not scanned. No personal information often contained
in form fields is therefore ever captured by the system. No data is
passed outside of BT's network. Webwise privacy standards have been
verified by external auditor Ernst & Young, Of course BT, TalkTalk and
Virgin Media have all completed appropriate due diligence on Phorm, we
also understand that other ISP's both in and outside of the UK are
currently talking to them.
BT expects to begin technical trials of the BT Webwise service shortly.
We will be inviting around 10,000 BT broadband Consumer customers to
take part in the trial. The trial invitation will be presented through a
special web page that will appear when those customers start a web
browsing session. At this point, those customers invited can choose to
opt in, opt out or to find out more information. Customers choosing not
to take part will not be profiled. The
www.bt.com/webwise site also
contains detailed information on the service and a one-click option to
switch the service off, which can be activated at any point during the
trial. The BT Privacy Policy and BT Total Broadband Service Terms will
be amended accordingly.
Opting out means that no browsing data whatsoever is processed. Opting
in and out of BT Webwise is extremely easy and completely transparent.
Standard opt out method does depend on a cookie remaining on your
machine indicating that you have opted out. If you delete your cookies
regularly, you will have to opt-out again each time you start a browsing
session. But for those who delete cookies regularly and want to remain
opted out, you can block cookies from the domain
www.webwise.net on each
browser you use. When you block this domain, the service will opt you
out permanently.
I hope that this response allays the concerns that you have expressed.
Please note that BT Webwise service will not be available for BT Retail
Business customers.
-----Original Message-----
From:
marketing@phorm.com [mailto:marketing@phorm.com]
Sent: 05 March 2008 19:24
To:
marketing@phorm.com
Subject: BT.webwise.com Contact Request
*** This email came from a bt.webwise.com contact submission on Wed 5
Mar 14:23:34 EST 2008. ***
Title: Mr
First name: (My real first name)
Last name: (My real surname)
ISP: BT
Email: (my primary bt emailATbtopenworld.com)
Phone:
User type: Unknown User
Questions or comments:
I wish to ensure that no browsing history whatsoever is available to
your insidious snooping. Is
www.oix.net the only URL that I must set
cookie-controls to reject?
</quote>
After you've had a good laugh at the atrocious grammar, punctuation and wonky syntax, have a think about the following:
1. No personal named signatory, as is normal, in my experience, from BT.
2. No BT department contained in the signature information, as is normal from BT.
2. A post to a BT department/organisation receives a reply mentioning other ISPs that are irrelevant to the subject matter.
3. The significance of the lines after and including marketingATphorm.com.
4. The date stamp - EST.
The evidence tells me that BT have passed my personal details to a third party that is outside the UK - phorm - specifically, my real name, my ISP and my primary BT email address. If I had inserted my phone number in the appropriate field, then they'd have that too.
But I may be wrong, so I'd be interested in any comments. I know the phorm issue can get get blood boiling, so carefully considered and unemotive please
Is this a clear case of an offence under RIPA?
gnilddif
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