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

You can always email the BT Beta forum moderators direct asking about this, using the forum moderation team email address. Maybe lots of people emailing with the same question? They won't tolerate you calling them out in the forum itself.

If anyone wants to pm me I can give a bit more info about other threads in the BT Beta forums.

I'm trying to find the address for the moderators but can't. Could you point me in the right direction?

I'd like to invite them over to CF for a good old natter.

Paul Delaney

06-05-2008 18:40

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cogster (Post 34545748)

was ist das?

BT actively censoring their own Broadband forums but only on webvise topic..??

One for El Reg me thinks...

They've done much worse - at one point they removed the complete Webwise Q & A thread (containing answers to questions by Adam Liversage) and returned it to the forum edited and locked so that it could slip off the first page into obscurity...

Many here can provide details of this I'm sure...

:D

Maggy

06-05-2008 18:44

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by SelfProtection (Post 34545750)

The Bottom Line as the Phorm /Webwise system stands at the moment.

If you are unfortunate like me to still be on a Phorm/Webwise ISP then:-

If you are prepared to block the Webwise Sites at the IPSEC/Good Software Firewall/Router level then you choke the Webwise Browser re-route system & this makes the Advertisement System they are relying on very difficult to implement!

Use of the Hosts file is problematic, as the Browser Cookie or Code can be told to re-route via the true Webwise IP address (not just the URL Name).

This doesn't stop the Wire-tap as it stands at the moment, but what use is the Wire-tap to BT/Phorm under these conditions.

I would rather block these Domains in such a fashion than feed their System & take the hit of Site Time-outs & having to refresh when their system is forced into a temporary loop at the ISP!

Keep your Javascript, Java software up to date to minimize the danger from Javascript, Java injection Exploits!

It comes to something when you have to use software to protect you from what your ISP is doing to your service.

Rchivist

06-05-2008 18:47

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by mark777 (Post 34545752)

I'm trying to find the address for the moderators but can't. Could you point me in the right direction?

I'd like to invite them over to CF for a good old natter.

I'd like to PM you with it but I can't.

mark777

06-05-2008 18:50

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incognitas (Post 34545756)

It comes to something when you have to use software to protect you from what your ISP is doing to your service.

I thought the sky had fallen in when Microsoft felt the need to include a virus checker in Windows for Workgroups. (msav, updated every time you installed a new operating system). ;)

---

Over 5 weeks ago I sent an e-mail to Virgin Trains to let them know how much VM were degrading the Virgin brand. I've just had a reply, they have passed it on to VM. This is the age of the train ...:monkey:

warescouse

06-05-2008 18:52

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cogster (Post 34545748)

was ist das?

BT actively censoring their own Broadband forums but only on webvise topic..??

One for El Reg me thinks...

I emailed them about 40 minutes ago. Whether they read it I don't know but perhaps we all should have a go.

number6

06-05-2008 18:54

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by OldBear (Post 34545721)

RE: the BT removed thread.

What really annoys me about this sort of censorship is, you can post on that forum that BT are crap, their system is crap, their CS is crap, or their equipment is crap and you get a reply from a Mod offering ways to sort your problem out, but mention Phorm/Webwise anywhere other than where they want you to post (i.e in a thread they won't reply to) and it gets censored or, more likely, removed. Disgusting!!!

OB

All those items you describe that a Mod responds to are basically about BT's incompetence or inefficiency. Both may indicate a poorly run organization but it is not illegal. Phorm on the other hand involves illegal interception and they are clearly trying to contain the spread of information by forcing it into a thread that many members or viewers would not naturally gravitate to. That, despite their intransigence, suggests that they do believe they are on uncertain ground and are afraid of the significance of Phorm publicity going mainstream.

Despite the extraordinary efforts of a number of people and some undoubted successes IMHO more than 90% of VM BT and Talk Talk customers still do not know of the existence of Phorm and BT at least will do their damnedest to prevent that.

After all when they do run their test they don't want only to get refuseniks!:D

Tarquin L-Smythe

06-05-2008 18:56

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

I would like to reply to BT but due to my disgust over the thread locking I was awarded a lifetime ban yet again they have proved they are unfit to run a forum if I could post I would recomend that all that was posted on the BT thread was links to this forum as many of us only subscribe here where the real debate and action is seems BT and Phorm can't publish and be damned as that is what would happen Lets get them to court and see where the smiles come from when their shares take a hammering

Florence

06-05-2008 18:56

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Incognitas (Post 34545756)

It comes to something when you have to use software to protect you from what your ISP is doing to your service.

That to me is the time to change ISPs they will not like to lose all their customers that are not happy with this arrangement.

Tharrick

06-05-2008 19:01

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

Hi all.

Cor, I go away for a weekend and there's FORTY new pages for me to trawl through. Ouch.

I got a reply from my MP, Tim Boswell:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Boswell

Dear [Name],
Thank you for your email of 16th of April concerning online privacy. I am grateful to you for raising this interesting issue. I will if may in the first instance raise this with a friend of mine who is an expert in the area, before considering what further action is appropriate
Yours sincerely, T. Boswell

I then, a few days later, got a follow-up:

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tim Boswell

Dear [Name],
Further to our earlier exchange I have now enquired of my expert friend, who very much shares your concern on this matter as a major drawback of current internet business models.
We will use various avenues to explore it further here
Yours sincerely, T. Boswell

There's also a hand-written bit just under saying 'The main issue is properly informed consent'

I'm glad that he got back in touch. I shall be writing back pointing out that while informed consent is one of the major issues, the assumed consent of webmasters and the profiling of opted-out customers are two other major areas of concern.

Florence

06-05-2008 19:02

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tarquin L-Smythe (Post 34545769)

There are many small share holders who do not know about this phorm or the illegal trials. I found out my mother still had her shares in BT and for the last 3 years has been allowing the chairman to cast her vote by proxy since she is in her 80s travelling about the country is impossible for her.

I am now handling her portfolio of BT, and TSB shares I am thinking of starting a forum for the small investors within BT to let more know what is happening also I feel they do deserve some questions answered since it is their investment that is at risk with illegal trials of something so obnoxous as phorm. (managment and the snooping)

SimonHickling

06-05-2008 19:54

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

Have they said whether they'll be restricting file/mime types at all?

I've just been reading a bit on El Reg about "CloudFS" and thinking about internet based storage. Imagine Phorm coupled with BT Digital Vault. If they can "see the whole internet" they can scan the stuff you put on the digital vault to target their advertising at the stuff in your documents.

A number of companies offer these storage solutions. I've never used one, so I don't know the protocols used. I have used WebDAV before and if it's not HTTPS it would be accessible to them.

Dephormation

06-05-2008 20:15

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

Quote:

Originally Posted by SimonHickling (Post 34545810)

I've never used one, so I don't know the protocols used. I have used WebDAV before and if it's not HTTPS it would be accessible to them.

There's so many other apps that use http, and so many apps that are built on IE7 (and cannot be distinguished from it by user agent) including Microsoft Office, OpenOffice, and many others... the user-agent whitelist guff is pure misdirection. BT and Phorm will know this if they have been developing this garbage for 2 years or more.

As for mime type, I haven't seen anything on their sites that mentions a mime type whitelist...

"Your search - mime site:phorm.com - did not match any documents."
"Your search - mime site:webwise.com - did not match any documents."

Paul Delaney

06-05-2008 20:20

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

How easy would it be for Phorm to redirect users away from, say, this forum or maybe El Reg - would you trust Kent not to do just that?

Dephormation

06-05-2008 20:21

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

Sky lifeline to Virgin Media...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2008...yb.virginmedia

"Virgin Media's new chief executive, Neil Berkett, who took over from Steve Burch, said the company was concentrating on improving its broadband offering and reducing 'churn' - the number of customers leaving."

Has anyone seem the Q1 churn figures, any idea when they get published?

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