Call to prosecute BT for ad trial

[gkd_uk]

BT should face prosecution for its "illegal" trials of a controversial ad-serving technology, a leading computer security researcher has said.

Dr Richard Clayton at the University of Cambridge made his comments after reviewing a leaked BT internal report.

The document reveals details of a 2006 BT trial with the Phorm system, which matches adverts to users' web habits.

"It's against the law of the land," he told BBC News. "We must now expect to see a prosecution."

But BT plans to push ahead with a further trial of the technology later this summer, the BBC has learnt.

"We have not announced a date yet; we are still planning - it will be quite soon," a spokesperson said.

Revelations about earlier trials have prompted some customers to organise protests in London to coincide with BT's AGM on 16 July.

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