Want to know more? Find out about BT Webwise online fraud protection, advertising and more. [Expand all]
BT Webwise is a free service giving you a safer, more personalised
online experience. BT Webwise checks for known fraudulent websites
and warns you when you visit one, with no need to download or
install any software. BT Webwise also replaces generic adverts
you see on participating websites with adverts more relevant to
your interests, based on the web sites you visit and the things
for which you search. [X]
You don't need to download anything to use BT Webwise — it works in BT's network, so you only need to keep BT Webwise on. [X]
BT Webwise works on all computers that browse the Internet. [X]
No. BT Webwise is run from BT's networks, so it won't disrupt your service
or make it slower. [X]
BT Webwise works with most major browsers, including Internet
Explorer, Firefox, Netscape and Opera. Safari is not supported
by the BT Webwise system. BT Webwise has been tested and proven
to work with the following:
- Internet Explorer 5.5, 6.0, 7.0
- Firefox 1.0, 1.5, 2.0
- Opera 7.54, 8.54, 9.0 [X]
BT Retail Consumer broadband [X]
We carried out thorough research amongst consumers and it was positively received. [X]
BT plans technical trials of BT Webwise in April 2008. We will
be inviting around 10,000 BT broadband customers to take part
in the trial. The trial involves only BT Retail consumer broadband
customers; it does not involve customers of BT Business, BT Ireland
or other BT-owned ISPs, including PlusNet.
The trial invitation will be presented through a special web
page that will appear the first time those customers start a web-browsing
session after BT Webwise becomes available. At this point, those
customers invited can choose to click YES, NO or Find More to
get more information. The 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.
[X]
Each browser is assigned a unique random number (cookie). On
each browser navigation, a 'data digest' is created consisting
of URL, search terms submitted to a major search engine, and the
top 10 most frequently-occurring page keywords from web pages
(which are cleaned to remove email addresses, numbers and names).
This is matched against a list of advertising product categories.
After the matching process, which may not result in a match, occurs,
the 'data digest' is deleted permanently and immediately. The
'data digest' is never written to disk so it is never stored.
All this processing is done completely within BT's network and
within BT-controlled equipment. The advertiser category, a random
number, and a timestamp is the only information held within the
system. This information is deleted every six months. [X]
BT has not and will not sell your data. No browsing data leaves
BT network and no personally identifiable information is stored
by the BT Webwise service or Phorm, the company that provides
the technology behind the service. We do not tie our authentication
servers and systems into Phorm's systems and we do not send
any other information we hold on our subscribers to Phorm. [X]
Yes. BT is aware of requirements regarding interception of communications under the Regulatory of Investigatory Powers act 2000. Our customers will be able to make a fully-informed choice as to whether to take the service when we launch, and the use of the service will also be subject to the BT Total Broadband Service Terms which are amended to ensure we are compliant. Informed consent from our customers will also satisfy data-protection and related privacy requirements.
[X]
The way in which we view data is compliant with our amended privacy policy and EU/UK data protection legislation. The Information Commissioner has been kept fully informed about BT Webwise. [X]
When you choose not to take the service, or switch off, it's off. 100%. No browsing data whatsoever is looked at or processed by BT Webwise. Those who have opted out will not have their browsing information mirrored or profiled. No information is gathered, and therefore no information is forwarded to Phorm. Customers who opt out will not come into contact with any Phorm-managed equipment.
Participating websites will still show you ads (as they do now) but these will not be ads from the Phorm service and they may not be more relevant to you. You will also not get extra protection from fraudulent websites.
[X]
The system only stores one item of information on your computer: a random number cookie. This number distinguishes your browser from the millions of others on the internet. It does not contain any information about you or your computer and it would not be possible to trace who you are using this number.
As you browse, the browsing behaviour of this number is matched against pre-defined advertiser categories, like travel or sport. So, for example, all the BT Webwise service would know is that cookie number 12345 is interested in sports and entertainment product categories if you look at, or search for, sports and entertainment sites.
No URLs, browsing histories or IP addresses are stored, and the
data used to find relevant adverts is deleted as each page loads.
There is no data other than the advert categories of interest
to you stored against a random number assigned to your browser,
so it's impossible to know, or reverse engineer, who you are or
where you've been.
In the ad-serving phase, the browser sends the random number and the category browsed by that number at that time to deliver the targeted advert only on the website that are participating in Phorm service, not the details of previous browsing, or anything about you or your computer.
[X]
No. Because the system cannot identify any individual user. [X]
This is so that we can send relevant advertising without learning a customer's identity. [X]
There are two ways you can opt out of BT Webwise:
- visit www.bt.com/webwise
and click Switch Off. Note that this will be activated only
after the service is launched. This 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.
- if you delete cookies regularly and want to remain opted out, you can set all your browsers to block cookies from the domain www.webwise.net. When you block this domain, the service will opt you out permanently. You can use this option now and will then be opted out of BT Webwise. [X]
We provide the facility to block cookies permanently from BT Webwise so if you want to opt out permanently you can do so through a one-time only activity, by setting your browser to block cookies from the domain www.webwise.net. When you block this domain, the service will not put a cookie on your machine and you will not be asked to opt in or out again. [X]
Phorm is in discussion with security-software vendors to ensure that the cookie is not deleted. If the opt-out cookie is deleted, you will have to opt-out again each time you start a browsing session. Alternatively, you can permanently opt-out by setting all your browsers to block cookies from the domain www.webwise.net. When you block this domain, the service will not put Webwise cookies on your machine. [X]
Your data is not 'viewed' even if you are participating. The system simply applies relevant advertising to a non-identifiable random number. When you choose not to take the service, or switch off, it's off. 100%. No browsing data whatsoever is looked at or processed by BT Webwise. Those who have opted out will not have their browsing information mirrored or profiled. No information is gathered, and therefore no information is forwarded to Phorm. Customers who opt out will not come into contact with any Phorm-managed equipment.
Participating websites will still show you ads (as they do now) but these will not be ads from the Phorm service and they may not be more relevant to you. You will also not get extra protection from fraudulent websites.
[X]
The information used to send relevant adverts is anonymous and
therefore completely private. We will be communicating to all
customers during the trial with a page that appears at the start
of their browsing session. Customers can look at amended terms
and conditions from this page and also on www.bt.com/webwise.
There will always be clear choice in the hands of all of our customers.
We also provide them with information on their current status
(opted in or opted out) on www.bt.com/webwise,
which can be changed with a click of a button. [X]
A new paragraph (paragraph 18) will be added, explaining that Webwise is available as part of BT's Total Broadband service. That paragraph will also capture customer consent for us to take the necessary technical steps to switch the service on or off, as appropriate (and will make it clear to subscribers that they are responsible for making sure that other users of the service in the household are aware of Webwise and know how to switch it on and off). [X]
No personally-identifiable information is collected about customers or their browsing. There is therefore no such information to pass on to a third party. All processing happens within BT's network and on equipment controlled by BT.
[X]
No personally-identifiable information is collected; there is therefore no such information to pass to a third party.
On each browser navigation, a 'data digest' is created consisting of URL, search terms submitted to a major search engine, and the top 10 most frequently-occurring page keywords from the page (which are cleaned to remove email addresses, numbers and names). This is matched against a list of advertising product categories. After the match is made, 'data digest' is deleted permanently and immediately. The 'data digest' is never written to disk so it is never stored. All this processing is done completely within BT's network. The matching information, the data that enables the system to match adverts with an anonymous random number is the only information held within the system and is deleted after six months.
We provide the facility to block cookies permanently from BT Webwise so if you want to opt out permanently you can do so through a one-time only activity, by setting your browser to block cookies from the domain www.webwise.net. When you block this domain, the service will not put a cookie on your machine and you will not be asked to opt in or out again.
[X]
BT Webwise momentarily uses website address, keywords and search
terms from the page viewed to match a category or area of interest
(e.g., travel or finance). After matching, this information is
discarded permanently, except the category information. The category
information is only associated with a unique, randomly-generated
number cookie that is stored in your browser so that you may get
relevant adverts on participating websites. You can choose to
switch off BT Webwise at any time by visiting www.bt.com/webwise
and clicking on Switch Off. [X]
There is no personally-identifiable information to collect. There is also no tie into any authentication systems within BT. [X]
No. All users are assigned a random-user identifier (cookie)
to preserve anonymity but keep the ability to be served relevant
ads. BT Webwise does not collect personal information and cannot
identify users in any way. The BT Webwise service uses anonymised
information on the URLs of some of the web pages viewed, keywords
and search terms entered. As the system works on unidentifiable
data, the service can't know who you are or match browsing to
you. Plus users choose: they can switch the system off or on.
[X]
BT Webwise uses technology that has been built from the ground up to avoid any information that might identify a customer personally. BT Webwise does not view any information on secure (HTTPS) pages. BT Webwise also ignores strings of numbers longer than three digits to ensure that we do not collect credit card numbers, phone numbers, National Insurance or other private information. [X]
No browsing data leaves BT network and no personally-identifiable information is generated or stored. There is nothing to pass on to any party.
The BT Webwise service uses anonymised information on the URLs of some of the web pages viewed, keywords and search terms entered. As the system works on unidentifiable data the service can't know who you are or where you've browsed. Plus users choose, they can switch the system off or on.
[X]
We will not sell any information (collective or not) to any third party. [X]
BT Webwise does not scan webmail pages. Secure pages like banking websites, and web forms such as online registration or sign-up forms are also not scanned. No personal information, often contained in form fields, is therefore ever used by the system.
When analysing in-page keywords, only repeated information is registered. The top-10 most frequent keywords are considered, having first ignored numbers, email addresses, names. Secondly this 'data digest' is only used instantaneously to match against advertiser channels and is then deleted immediately and permanently. Raw data is not stored and therefore cannot be lost. The system only retains the advertiser categories that were matched against a random number, which by definition cannot include your data. [X]
No. Not only are online forms ignored completely, the system
does not collect any personally-identifiable information, so there
is nothing to pass on to anybody. All processing analysis is done
instantaneously and on BT's controlled equipment. [X]
BT Webwise does not scan password-protected content so it is ignored. [X]
All search keywords become part of the request your browser sends to the search engine. Webwise looks at the http request to understand what search keywords were used. [X]
BT Security is conducting extensive testing on Phorm software and will complete its audit soon. We also understand that Phorm has offered its software and source code to be examined by independent third parties. [X]
No user data is stored anywhere. Only the links between a random unidentifiable number and advertising categories are stored. This information is deleted after six months. It is simply not possible to reverse engineer user identity using this information.
When you opt out, all your previous matching information (if you opted in previously) is deleted and a random number assigned to your browser is deleted. The logs carry no information about browsing history and are used to troubleshoot system.
[X]
About BT Webwise Anti-fraud feature
BT Webwise helps protect you from 'phishing' — a form
of identity theft — by warning you when you browse to
potentially dangerous sites.
Phishing fraud is when a third party creates a website pretending
to belong to a well-known brand, like a bank, and asks you to
enter confidential information (passwords, account details), which
they then steal. Phishing websites have always been hard to detect
because they are designed to look just like genuine websites.
[X]
As you browse the Internet, the website addresses you visit are checked against a list of known fraudulent sites. This list is supplied by leading companies who provide this service to banks and top consumer brands.
When a listed fraudulent site is identified, BT Webwise will present you with a warning page telling you the site may be fraudulent, and gives you the choice to continue browsing, or return to the previous page. [X]
Anti-virus and anti-spam software can improve your security by stopping most fraudulent emails reaching your computer. However, these may not help you avoid fraudulent websites. BT Webwise gives you extra security by warning against any attempt to access a listed fraudulent site regardless of how you got there: email, browser, or virus. And with access to the anti-fraud list, it has the most up-to-date information at all times; there's no need for you to download updates. [X]
We believe it's better to warn and inform rather than to block or restrict access to the Internet, so BT Webwise will warn you when you visit a website listed as fraudulent. [X]
It's very unlikely that this would happen as the companies that supply the list of fraudulent sites are very careful not to list legitimate sites. In the extremely unlikely event of this happening, BT Webwise offers the facility for website owners to request that their site is removed from the list. [X]
Unfortunately, no. Internet fraud is a growing problem and like viruses, 'phishing' sites are constantly multiplying. There is still a chance that a site will slip through, so we recommend all customers to be very cautious before entering their details on any site. [X]
Yes. BT Webwise will compliment anti-fraud protection provided by your browser. Because BT Webwise works in BT's network, it will present you with a warning before you visit a listed fraudulent site. If you choose not to continue, you will never reach the fraudulent site and your browser will not display a warning. However, if you do reach a fraudulent site, your browser will warn you as long as the site is on its black list.
BT Webwise is always protecting you even when you change your browser or your computer and you don't need to download or install any software.
[X]
About BT Webwise relevant advertising feature
As you browse the internet, the sites you visit or the terms you search for are checked against general advertising categories, like travel, finance or luxury cars. Only this information is stored, not information like website addresses and search terms. These categories are set up by advertisers who want to reach consumers who are most likely to be interested in these subjects. When you visit a web site or search for a relevant term that matches one of these categories, BT Webwise will recognise this and will associate the category to an anonymous, unique ID cookie stored on your computer. In this way, BT Webwise is able to develop list of categories that are relevant to your browsing interests, which it will use to ensure that participating websites show adverts which are more likely to be relevant to your individual interests. [X]
We think that browsing the internet is better when the adverts are more relevant
to the things you're interested in. We can't stop you seeing any
ads, but if you'd rather see ads that match your interests, BT
Webwise is good for you. [X]
No. BT Webwise only works on home computers when browsing the internet.
[X]
BT Webwise only delivers adverts relevant to one of a number of pre-defined categories of interest nominated by advertisers (e.g. 'Finance' or 'Health and Beauty'). Internet browsing can only be matched against these categories. Accordingly, BT Webwise will not allow advertising campaigns in the following categories:
- Tobacco
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Pornography
- Gambling (except National Lottery)
- UK Political Parties [X]
About switching
on and switching off BT Webwise
Simply go to www.bt.com/webwise. You'll be able to see whether BT Webwise is turned on or off on the computer, user account and browser you're using at the time, or if it is not available in your area. [X]
When BT Webwise is available in your area, simply go to www.bt.com/webwise
and click 'BT Webwise Off' or 'BT Webwise On'. BT Webwise uses
a cookie stored on your computer to capture your preference. This
cookie is linked to individual computers, user accounts and browsers,
so you will need to switch the service on or off from each computer,
user account and browser you use. If you delete the cookie, you'll
need to reset your preference, or add www.webwise.net to
your browsers' blocked cookies settings. [X]
BT Webwise uses a cookie stored on your computer to capture your preference. This cookie is linked to individual computers, user accounts and browsers. This allows users to choose whether to turn BT Webwise on or off on their individual computer, user account or browser. This means that turning BT Webwise on or off on one computer, user account or browser will not automatically turn it on or off on any others. If you delete the cookie, you'll need to reset your preference. [X]
When BT Webwise is off you won't receive warnings before reaching fraudulent websites. BT Webwise will not scan or collect any data from the web pages that you visit to see if there are better adverts to show you; no data, in fact, will be analysed, stored or passed to Phorm or any other partner if you are switched off. You'll still see adverts in the normal course of visiting any participating website. [X]
Once you've switched off BT Webwise, you can reset it as many
times as you want. It won't reverse the process or cause any harm.
[X]
About Phorm
Phorm is a digital technology company. It is focused on user privacy, a more relevant internet experience, and more value for advertisers, publishers, internet service providers and others in the online ecosystem. With offices in New York, London and Moscow, Phorm (AIM: PHRM, PHRX) is a Delaware, US incorporated company, publicly listed on the London Stock Exchange's Alternative Investment Market (AIM) since 2004.
With its ISP partners, Phorm launched the Open Internet Exchange (OIX) to revolutionise online advertising while fully protecting user privacy and anonymity. Phorm has established contracts with major ISPs. Phorm has created Webwise; a new system designed to make the internet safer and more relevant to internet users. Webwise includes enhanced protection against online fraud and relevant advertising features.
[X]
Phorm has programmers in the UK and US, and also a first-class team in Moscow. It is entirely normal for international companies to operate development groups overseas, eg, in India, the Far East, and central Europe. Russia is pre-eminent in software development.
All processing is done in the UK and within the BT network. No data is ever passed outside BT network to any third parties. The system has been built from the ground up to ensure that there is no way user data can be accessed or stored in any way.
Phorm has no connection with China. [X]
No, Webwise operates at the network level and will not download, install or
run any software on users' machines. [X]
Please contact us and we will respond to your question
as soon as possible. [X]
