RSSBritish ISPs align to build a targeted online ad platform
By Michael Hatamoto | Published February 15, 2008, 6:14 PM
British Telecom, TalkTalk and Virgin Media, three of the largest Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Britain, have joined together to create a new network that will offer targeted advertising to UK Internet users.
Using software built upon Phorm's ad serving technology, the three companies will become members of the Open Internet Exchange (OIX), designed to offer advertisements depending on the search and browsing habits of Internet users. Specifically, the service will provide information on users' browsing and search habits. Web sites will offer space to place the ads targeted toward those users, and advertisers will provide the revenue when an ad is clicked on.
To help protect user anonymity in the OIX, Phorm will anonymize the ISP information and remember just the subjects of users' searches, nothing else. ISPs will be encouraged to deploy a free software tool called Webwise to help users protect themselves from online fraud by informing them when they are viewing a suspected fraudulent Web site.
Phorm's other clients includes MySpace, iVillage and the Financial Times, while working with the Universal McCann and Manning Gottlieb Internet media agencies. The company is reportedly in negotiations with several other ISPs in the United Kingdom and other European nations.
Once again British isp's demonstrate that they are only interested in making more money from their customers. I do realise that it is an indirect way but, they will be making more.
Anyone who is aware of just what is being proposed will see that :- 1. They are going to be doing even more tracking of what their members are doing online and 2:- they are not offering anyone a get out clause. If the government introduces the proposed illegality of downloading music etc in the shape of torrents and p2p, I'll be willing to bet they can count fully on these ISPs to hammer a nail in to their members coffins by providing all the information the authorities need. The U.K. under Labour has gone totally "big brother" bonkers !
I wonder if this ISP member tracking will also include names and addresses so companies / advertisers can write to you directly. After all, its just one small step from what is proposed. Frankly I don't believe a word about the anonymity !
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|"The U.K. under Labour has gone totally "big brother" bonkers !"
Interesting comment, jofin. Do you believe ISPs are not already viewing what type of traffic is passing over their wires before this advertising agreement?
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|I'm so glad I changed from BT. They really have gotten s*** of late.
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|While I don't disagree with you, ive always thought BT are poor. I've never known a time when BT with anything else, but with the recent tiscali fiasco, and the talk talk rubbish that's also been popular. I suppose BT could have been considered acceptable.
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|It was around 4 years ago that I went with them because I had no choice for the first year of living here (some crazy contractual reason). They were very good, I didn't have any downtime at all and got the full 2Mb consistently; however, they started charging for going over the download limit in the last 3/4 months I was with them, and enough was enough.
Demon have been great thus far.
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|Demon have always been above average, I liked them but I must have suffered with some heavy downloaders on my DSL line, due to the contention ratio.
So far Virgin are quite good, they seam to have sorted the issues I was having with them.
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|All DSL in the UK goes through BT anyway...
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