Phorm is an innovative digital technology company that designed and built the infrastructure and technology that power its consumer brands Webwise and QookSmartweb and the Open Internet Exchange (OIX). [X]

Phorm, Inc. was founded in 2002 as 121Media, Inc., a Delaware C corporation, based in London. In December, 2004, 121Media, Inc was publicly listed on AIM. In May, 2007, 121Media was renamed Phorm and began trading as such on AIM. [X]

UK ISPs representing approximately 70% of the UK broadband ISP market have joined Phorm to launch the service to consumers. These are BT Group PLC, The Carphone Warehouse PLC and Virgin Media Group.

Korean ISP KT, which represents 44.3% of the Korean broadband market. [X]

Simply contact us for more information or to get started. [X]

Our ISP partners have not sold and will not sell your data to any third party as part of Webwise or QookSmartweb. No browsing data leaves the ISP network and no personally identifiable information is stored by Phorm's technology. We do not tie into the ISP's authentication server or any other information the ISP holds on their subscribers. [X]

KT is Korea's leading telecoms company, providing users with a triple play offering of broadband as well as fixed and mobile telephony. They have a market share of 44%. [X]

Phorm is in discussions with a large number of ISPs around the world. [X]

Yes we have set up an office and have a team operating in Korea - we have also announced the appointment of Daniel Park who will head up our Seoul office. [X]

Outside of the UK and US we have set up exploratory presences in a number of markets where we see the most potential for our technology. Should we decide to establish a larger presence, we will make an announcement. [X]

No - the service doesn't store personally identifiable information, doesn't store IP addresses or browsing histories. The technology simply observes anonymous behaviours and draws a conclusion about the advertising category that's most relevant. All the data leading to that conclusion is deleted by the time each web page is loaded.

The service dispels the myth that data on user browsing history must be retained and stored in order to provide more relevant advertising. Plus, users choose - they can switch the service off or on at anytime. [X]

The service works on the basis of a closed system which only includes the ISP and Phorm. No browsing data leaves the ISP network and no personally identifiable information is stored by Phorm's technology. No data on subscriber activity is passed to advertisers.

Phorm's technology 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]

No. Phorm technology does not store browsing information regarding adult-themed or illegal activities. Advertisers want to show ads in pre-defined categories, e.g. "Finance" or "Health and Beauty". The way Phorm's technology works, browsing behaviour is only stored when it matches these predefined and pre-approved categories; and as there are no advertiser categories allowed in the system related to illegal or adult activities, no browsing behaviour related to adult or illegal activities is stored. [X]

When you opt out -- or switch the system off -- it's off. 100%. No browsing data whatsoever is passed from the ISP to Phorm. We should be clear: the Phorm servers are located in the ISP's network and browsing data is not transmitted outside the ISP. Even if you are opted out, websites will still show you ads (as they do now) but these will not be ads from the Phorm service and they will not be more relevant to your browsing. [X]

It's important to understand there are two distinctly separate processes in the Phorm system: data capture and ad serving. The data capture system only stores one item of information on your computer - a random number. The random number is the only thing that distinguishes your browser from the millions of others on the internet. It does not contain any information about you or your computer. The only person able to make that connection is you, as you have that cookie in your browser.

As you browse, your browsing behaviour is matched against pre-defined advertiser categories for everyday products, like travel or sport.

No URLs, browsing histories or IP addresses are retained and the raw data used to make the match is deleted in real time -- by the time the page loads. There is, in essence, no data other than the categories and the random number stored in the system and so it's impossible to know (or indeed reverse engineer from that) who you are or where you've been.

In the ad serving phase, when your computer requests an ad from the OIX (because a website has included our tag in their page), the browser sends the random number and the categories are used to deliver the targeted ad, not the details of your browsing, or anything about you or your computer. [X]

QookSmartweb is the consumer service, based on Phorm's technology that KT is launching for the trial in Korea. It provides users with a more relevant browsing experience by anonymously matching their interests to online advertising. KT customers opting into the trial will not only benefit from existing features such as enhanced user privacy and more relevant advertising, but will also be invited to experience a groundbreaking new consumer proposition, which will be demonstrated by Phorm at a media and publisher event in the UK on 3 June 2009. [X]

Webwise is a feature offered by leading UK ISPs in the UK that helps protect customers from fraudulent websites and replaces generic online ads with ads that are relevant to customers' interests. Webwise is powered by Phorm technology. [X]

If you have the OIX or Webwise available from your ISP, simply go to www.webwise.com and click Webwise Off. If you have several computers using the same internet connection, or use different log-ins or browsers, be sure to switch off Webwise from each one.

When Webwise is off, you will no longer receive warnings before reaching fraudulent sites. Webwise will also no longer analyse any data from the web pages that you browse to see if there are better ads to show you. For more information, see www.webwise.com/how-it-works/faq.html. [X]

No - once you have opted out, the opt out cookie prevents any of your browsing from being collected. [X]

The OIX is a revolutionary new technology platform that allows, for the first time, online advertising to be targeted using behavioural keyword data gathered at the ISP network level. This data allows for the most accurate user targeting, while completely protecting user privacy. Campaigns created in the OIX are served to ad spots on OIX-partner publishers and networks via an open exchange. [X]

Like a stock exchange, the OIX connects buyers and sellers of online advertising media, with prices established in a competitive, auction-based format. [X]

The OIX is an auction-based marketplace. If more than one advertiser campaign can be served to a particular ad spot and user, the higher priced campaign serves. Of course, if no OIX campaign beats the publisher's price for that ad spot, the publisher's default ad will serve. This keeps prices at fair market value. [X]

Everyone. The OIX is an open platform: All sellers of online advertising media, including publishers, ad networks and behavioural targeting companies, can make their media placements available or monetise their knowledge. All media buyers, including advertisers, online ad agencies and even independent, ISP-based or publisher-based ad sales teams can set up campaigns to be matched to placements. [X]

Phorm partners with ISPs to enable their networks with Phorm's data analysis and targeting technology. This technology then analyses fully-anonymous browsing data from the ISP pipes and uses it to target advertising through the OIX.

With Phorm's technology enabled, ISPs can also offer QookSmartweb or Webwise to customers at no charge, helping make Internet browsing safer and more relevant. [X]

Total revenue depends on the number of ISP subscribers. [X]

The OIX uses data from ISP pipes to upgrade the generic advertising on websites with more relevant ads. These ads will be viewed by ISP subscribers who are most likely to be looking for the advertised product or service based on keyword patterns in their browsing behavior.

The OIX delivers these ads via third-party publishers (individual websites or publisher networks) who are paid for the space depending on the price they set for the ad spot used to serve the ad. Revenue received by the OIX is split between the providers of the data (ISPs), the technology (Phorm) and whichever party sold the campaign to the advertiser. [X]

No. The terms of the OIX prohibit any participant from using the system to target any other participant. Ads targeted by other means, e.g demographic, may still appear on third-party sites as they already do today. [X]

An ISP portal is treated just like any other publisher. When an OIX-generated ad is of higher value than the current ad being served on the ISP portal, the OIX ad is served instead and the revenue is shared between the ISP and the OIX. [X]

As an open exchange, ad campaigns can be sold by anyone, including an ISP's existing sales force. Higher-value campaigns are served before lower-value campaigns whenever possible. [X]

Purchase, implementation and ongoing maintenance of the equipment is scaled depending on the size of your technical network. However, the payback period has been measured in days for all implementations to date. [X]

Within a few weeks, your network can be enabled to connect to the OIX and begin receiving revenue from ads served to your subscribers. [X]

It doesn't. By using the targeting information available through the OIX, we can simply add revenue to the ISP without impacting any existing relationships. [X]

Currently, most ISPs receive only negligible income from online advertising. The OIX allows the ISP to tap into the $35+ billion global online advertising market, likely resulting in a significant increase in market value. [X]

ISP subscribers have a safer, more relevant online experience, with no downside, and experience the OIX through the Webwise or QookSmartweb feature.

The OIX, through Webwise or QookSmartweb, ensures that consumer privacy is 100% protected. For users who regularly ignore online advertising or feel it is distracting from the content in which they're interested, this activity should be an upgrade to their overall experience. [X]

The OIX can potentially serve ads to any of the websites your subscriber normally visits in the regular places the website shows ads. The OIX does not show pop-ups or pop-unders. [X]

The OIX, Webwise and QookSmartweb establish a higher standard of Internet privacy than currently exists in the industry. As such, each ISP partner's privacy policy should not need to be changed as a result of adding Phorm technology. [X]

No private or personal information, or anything that can identify you, is ever stored - and that means your privacy is never at risk.

Phorm identifies each user with a unique, randomly-generated number. With it, Phorm can deliver warnings of potentially dangerous websites and replace untargeted ads with more relevant ones, but can never identify the user personally. Phorm's technology can also be switched off easily at any time. [X]

Phorm only stores advertising categories that match a user's areas of interest. There is no sensitive data stored. [X]

No. Phorm technology does not store browsing information regarding adult-themed or illegal activities. Advertisers want to show ads in pre-defined categories, e.g. "Finance" or "Travel". The way Phorm's technology works, browsing behaviour is only stored when it matches these predefined and pre-approved categories; and as there are no advertiser categories allowed in the system related to illegal or adult activities, no browsing behaviour related to adult or illegal activities is stored. [X]

In the UK and in Korea, the Open Internet Exchange (OIX) does not allow advertising campaigns (or, for that matter, websites) in the following categories:
- Tobacco
- Drugs
- Alcohol
- Pornography
- Gambling (except National Lottery)
Exclusions are based on Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) advertising standards and an in-house editorial panel. The exclusion list may be added to, or subtracted from, depending on the region of the Internet Service Provider. [X]

Advertisers are not allowed to create targeting rules to target individuals, or to only target the users of an individual website. [X]

No. The IP address is never stored. [X]

No. Phorm does not collect personal information, and cannot use it to serve ads. The system does not attempt to identify the user in any way and does not integrate with any system (like the ISP's log-in system) that could identify the user. [X]

Phorm uses technology that has been built from the ground up to avoid any information that might identify a customer personally. Phorm technology does not view any information on secure (HTTPS) pages, and ignores strings of numbers longer than three digits to ensure that we do not collect credit card numbers, phone numbers, National Insurance or other potentially private information. [X]

No. The browsing history is not stored in any way. The unique fundamental design of this technology ensures that consumer privacy is protected and that, even under compulsion, no personally-identifying data or detailed browsing data can be retroactively provided to anyone. [X]

Phorm has a high level of system and network security and operates a stringent security policy. Access to database hosts is restricted to systems administrators and data access is only permitted for specific purposes within the terms of the security policy.

However, the major safeguard is that all data is anonymous and cannot be attached to any individual. Only derived channel-match information is stored against the anonymous id in the database and all raw data is deliberately and continuously deleted according to the privacy timeline. [X]