Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

[3x2]

A mass opt-out eh? That sounds like a great plan. I just think that when it comes to it peeps will not be willing. Sadly, most people are just sheep with this kinda stuff.

Sorry to admit that I'm beginning to get that feeling myself. Fight all you like but in the end our representatives want this, our ISP's want this, commercial interests want this and the sheeple simply don't care one way or the other.

I suppose I will have to accept that my net connection is going up in price by the amount it costs to SSL to a box in a country that cares.

They say you get the Government (and, by extension, the country) you deserve.

[theciscokid]

I don't want to come across as a "I'm giving up on this" it's just the bulk of internet users really don't have a clue or really care.

I mean there are peeps out there still using the WWW without a firewall let alone firefox and the great add-ons that are available for it.

[mark777]

Originally Posted by ceedee

I'm firmly with Sir Tim: "It's mine - you can't have it."
What grounds have *you* to believe that they should?

I quite agree.

What worries me is when i'm in a queue in Tesco's and someone at the front can't find their Clubcard and thinks the world will fall in because they are loosing out.

When I get to the checkout and am asked if I have a Clubcard and reply "You mean a bit of Satan's plastic?", I'm looked at if i'm from another planet (I can understand that), but then asked if I want one!

If I ask why Tesco's just don't give everyone the 0.5% discount i'm told on the checkout (as if it's way beyond my comprehension) that it's much more complicated than that. If I ask why, people behind get all uppy.

I've not asked them if they realise that Tesco's know who they are and where they live and have a really good idea about how much they earn, how much disposable income they have, how many kids, their diet, and their IQ. They may even know when their wife's menstrual cycle starts or if alcoholism is a family problem.

That's without having Tesco's home and car insurance.

What are these bugg**s going to do with people's browsing habits, particularly if they feel they are loosing out on something? And they are not even getting a discount!

Keep pestering your MP! If your MP does not listen, write to the opposition parties.

[popper]

Originally Posted by roadrunner69

Great idea Portly_Giraffe but i have to agree with Mark777, while most of the people contributing here are tech aware and understand the technichal aspects of DPI, its my mum and the girl on the checkout at tesco who need to be made aware of the massive threat to their privacy in simple terms.

If you mention Deep Packet Inspection most peoples eyes glaze over and interest is lost. It needs to be kept simple.

yeah sure, we get that, but your average person using their Broadband computers must understand:
Inspection.
Lawful intercept.
diverting all your data.
data Mining.
eavesdropping.
censership.
interception,etc

simple everyday Broadband users language is one thing, pre-school playgroup is another and serves no real purpose in understanding this subject.

remember, i didnt say slap the whole thing at the top, mearly highlight the *DPI words so as to make it clear and stand out, then they can *it at the bottom if they want to read the more techy ABC if you like....

---------- Post added at 00:59 ---------- Previous post was at 00:48 ----------

how do you make sheeple care ?, by letting them know the facts as it effects them personally it would seem.

i like that sheeple we should adopt it 3x2

[flowrebmit]

So VirginMedia plan to circumvent our web browser's security model of cookie management, so that VM can insert the webwise UID into every cookie stored on PC!!! To do this VM will be faking (the first) visit to every web site that I surf to, using the "gifted" equipment from Phorm? i.e. this DPI Layer 7 kit and the special web-site faking computers!

Someone wake me please, I must be having a nightmare

[roadrunner69]

Originally Posted by popper

yeah sure, we get that, but your average person using their Broadband computers must understand:
Inspection.
Lawful intercept.
diverting all your data.
data Mining.
eavesdropping.
censership.
interception,etc

Agreed. But we have to remember that most people have a very basic understanding of the internet and how it works.
While most peeps on here understand the technical issues, they are already aware of the threat to their privacy and are doing something about it.
Its the other 95% of the people that we need to wake up and show them whats happening to their privacy and get them writing to their MP, ISP, signing the petition etc.
My experience is that most people just switch off unless you keep it simple where computers/internet are concerned.

[Florence]

Originally Posted by roadrunner69

Agreed. But we have to remember that most people have a very basic understanding of the internet and how it works.
While most peeps on here understand the technical issues, they are already aware of the threat to their privacy and are doing something about it.
Its the other 95% of the people that we need to wake up and show them whats happening to their privacy and get them writing to their MP, ISP, signing the petition etc.
My experience is that most people just switch off unless you keep it simple where computers/internet are concerned.

Agreed only thing is some are simple minded and the PR these guys give out many will be suckered into the hell whole..

[bigbadcol]

Things are not going well for Phorm at the moment.

With the BBC C4 and the experts saying there technology is illegal, Then I saw this on the investor site

http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/deta...PHRM.L&it%3Dle

Posted by fidbod
----------------------------------------
I don't know if anyone has read the regulatory news service today if not a brief update.

As of 7th February the following investors held substantial holdings.
Majedie investments PLC 4.26% - source Phorm Website
Valerie Boffy 3.27% - source Phorm Website

As of today
Majedie hold 3.9%
Valerie Boffy is no long a substantial shareholder i.e. her holding has fallen below 3%.

I don't know about you but when institutional shareholders and significant private investors start selling their investments, that is a big sell indicator for me!!

It is almost as bad as directors selling their investment.
----------------------------------------

Add to another week of slowly falling prices, I can enjoy my new hobby of watching a company slowly burn.

Enjoy a good night everybody.

[popper]

yeah OK, so that page also needs the basic send it letter to your whoever at this address thing.

a sheeple frendly DPA Notice (and request perhaps),Dear MP,Dear MEP,Dear UK Data Comissioner,Dear EU Data Commisioner.

you can find most of the basic stuff already and it needs re-writing for the generic ISP/Phorm subject, so thats a job for you perhaps.

look at the old Banking charges form letters for the bulk, as well as what the good people here have posted so far. good luck.

[CaptJamieHunter]

Originally Posted by roadrunner69

Agreed. But we have to remember that most people have a very basic understanding of the internet and how it works.
While most peeps on here understand the technical issues, they are already aware of the threat to their privacy and are doing something about it.
Its the other 95% of the people that we need to wake up and show them whats happening to their privacy and get them writing to their MP, ISP, signing the petition etc.
My experience is that most people just switch off unless you keep it simple where computers/internet are concerned.

I've lost count of the number of people who I've visited and found their broadband connection totally unprotected. Both personally and professionally. Words like "firewall" mean nothing to them. They recognise words like "protection" and are therefore fooled by anything which claims to offer "protection", et al.

Consequently when they hear "What? What? WHAT?" coming from my general direction, ask what the problem is and I say "Where's your firewall/anti-virus" I get blank looks. Techie explanations won't work. Simple analogies and how it affects them get far better results. Hence the post analogy. It's simple and can be understood.

If people are genuinely interested in learning the more technical aspects then that's cool and is something they do with their IT department.

OK, not everyone's as cynical, jaundiced, bitter [continue with pejoratives if you like] as I am but I've got to say a whole lot of home users won't understand terms like data mining and interception.

So any effort to simplify things with analogies will help to counter the spin such as "improve your online experience".

"Time for bed" said Zebedee.

[popper]

Originally Posted by bigbadcol

Things are not going well for Phorm at the moment.

With the BBC C4 and the experts saying there technology is illegal, Then I saw this on the investor site

http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/deta...PHRM.L&it%3Dle

Posted by fidbod
----------------------------------------
I don't know if anyone has read the regulatory news service today if not a brief update.

As of 7th February the following investors held substantial holdings.
Majedie investments PLC 4.26% - source Phorm Website
Valerie Boffy 3.27% - source Phorm Website

As of today
Majedie hold 3.9%
Valerie Boffy is no long a substantial shareholder i.e. her holding has fallen below 3%.

I don't know about you but when institutional shareholders and significant private investors start selling their investments, that is a big sell indicator for me!!

It is almost as bad as directors selling their investment.
----------------------------------------

Add to another week of slowly falling prices, I can enjoy my new hobby of watching a company slowly burn.

Enjoy a good night everybody.

yeah i posted the regulatory news above earlyer here...

that would be the last trade i assume! £343,200 doesnt seem that much, perhaps she just needs to buy more shoes this weekend
http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/deta...&timeframe=480
15:51:23 1650p 1600p 1700p 20,800 £343,200 ?

[unicus]

I was looking around for more information on 'Man in the Middle' attacks (which is in effect what Phorm are doing with the cookies) and DPI equipment and came across this rather interesting article from last July;

http://arstechnica.com/articles/cult...neutrality.ars

It gives a good outline of what DPI equipment can do but also got me wondering what equipment VM use for traffic shaping, anyone know? Do they use the cheaper shallow packet inspection or what?

[AlexanderHanff]

I believe VM use Ellacoya kit for DPI based "network management", I seem to remember reading an article on it on either ThinkBroadband or El Reg about 12-18 months ago.

Ellacoya is pretty much the market leader with regards to this type of equipment from what I can tell.

Alexander Hanff

[theciscokid]

Originally Posted by unicus

I was looking around for more information on 'Man in the Middle' attacks (which is in effect what Phorm are doing with the cookies) and DPI equipment and came across this rather interesting article from last July;

http://arstechnica.com/articles/cult...neutrality.ars

It gives a good outline of what DPI equipment can do but also got me wondering what equipment VM use for traffic shaping, anyone know? Do they use the cheaper shallow packet inspection or what?

Hi

It's hard to say what software VM are using to packet sniff but in general terms it should only be used for monitoring network performance and faults that may arise from bandwidth leeches!

I only EVER use it for fault based issues and it's within our private network.



Thanks for that Alex. I was only speaking from my personal experience. I use Solarwinds and that has in-built packet sniffing software although we do have very clever program writers!

[OF1975]

Good to see that some of the people on the iii site are finally waking up to the real issues. For a while a few of us were banging our heads against a brick wall but looks like the tide is turning