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

I see that the Beta.BT forum is down yet again, maybe it has got a touch of PHORMITIS.

Colin

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

Hello!
https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2008/08/25.pnghttps://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2008/08/26.png

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

Judging by the length of text, this quote comes from around 1h15m to 1h20m

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

You can certainly use the Phormwatch special edition. Alternatively I've put a new set up on Inphormationdesk, tidying up the text and offering it in different formats:

Black for printing 2-up landscape 2-sided on A4 paper and then guillotining into two A5 flyers (probably the most useful format):
http://www.inphormationdesk.org/Phorm_Flyer_A5.pdf

Black for printing 2-sided on A5 paper:
http://www.inphormationdesk.org/Phorm_Flyer_A5.pdf

Original navy A4 with optional House of Commons and BT addresses on the back:
http://www.inphormationdesk.org/Phorm_Flyer.pdf

Special edition for MPs, navy A4 :
http://www.inphormationdesk.org/Phorm_Flyer_MP.pdf

Feel free to use - also please let me have any corrections and suggestions, and let me know if any other points of contact should be listed.

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

Well, to finish off, from Alex's interview with EoN (he doesn't say where the information came from, but clearly it well positioned to receive accurate information from Government);

EoN: The first part of the question again? I've forgotten.
AH: Given the possibility of the quantity of the people involved in the trials?
EoN: Yes yes the gravity of it. Erm, it is extreemely serious in my view, erm, and I despair that, that erm, the authorities are
AH: Passing the buck?
EoN: Well, its not only passing the buck, erm, they're being dismissive of it, erm sure its a bit like a hot potato so the Home Office passes it to the ICO, the ICO passes it to SOCA and round and round the mulberry bush we go. So in that sense there is a degree of passing the buck but I think there's a more serious issue. It is that the presumption that appears to exist that, erm, despite affecting according to press reports 130,000. I've heard as many as 160,000. Not all of them will be as disgruntled as each other, but never the less a fair proportion of them will and this is potentially a criminal offence. Erm, erm, and for the authorities (whomever it may be) to treat it so dismissively, is the dismissiveness I find so objectionable.

Edit; Madslug beat me to it! :) (thanks!)

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

There's always this quote from the Phorm/121Media Annual Report for 2006.

"Chief Executive Officer's Report

The Company has built on its existing PageSense platform to create a new server-based architecture called ProxySense. In Q4 of 2006, we conducted a live user trial of PageSense with a UK ISP, and we are about to start a larger trial of ProxySense with a test base of several hundred thousand users"

http://www.phorm.com/reports/Annual_Report_2006.pdf

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

Not down seems to have vanished.. The link in Favs that used to take me to the forums now brings up.

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

I was getting nothing at all but now that's the message I get in Firefox 3.0, but in IE7 I get a 404 error.

Colin

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

Bwahaha. Maybe they thought the forum was getting out of control, so they took it down.

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

On a related note. The PSInet server, seemingly hosted in a block assigned to One Voice Technologies, is still alive and kicking out BT Webwise pages;

https://www.cableforum.co.uk/images/...2008/08/52.gif

Obviously, no one told it that BT Webwise was supposed to be hosted in the UK. Actually, supposed to be hosted inside BT rather than Gyron Internet, if truth be told.

Put the IP and hostname into your hosts file to confirm. Beware, any interaction with webwise.bt.com is not handled by BT, and if you make the above changes to your host file, the site you visit will be served from the USA (outside UK/EU data protection laws). Clear any BT.com cookies beforehand.

Whois
OrgName: Performance Systems International Inc.
OrgID: PSI
Address: 1015 31st St NW
City: Washington
StateProv: DC
PostalCode: 20007
Country: US

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

Down *again*? It's never done this before has it? It's been abnormally slow for the last few days, and it's interesting that the Mods didn't respond to a number of posts about that. But now the whole thing is dead.
gnilddif

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

maybe the kitchen got to hot for BT to handle :) after all the truth is coming out the onger it goes on the more we seem to find out..

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

I can't believe they would sacrifice such a powerful and valuable wide-ranging customer resource as that, when they know very well that the phorm/Webwise faeces will stick on them publicly anyway. Maybe they were getting worried that increasing numbers of BT customers were getting Webwise-wise through those forums, and, faced with the Intesticular Page, if it ever appears, would have doubts and click No Thanks.
There certainly was an increasingly significant quantity of intensely anti-BT sentiment expressed on many threads in several topic areas within the forums, and maybe they thought that this was the only way to get rid of it, rather than censor it piece by piece.
Whatever the reason - a desperate effort at censorship or a massive hardware/software failure - it doesn't look good for BT, who claim that Phorm/Webwise is fit for purpose in their hands. If they can't keep the hardware/software that runs the forums running smoothly, then how can they be trusted to maintain scrupulously and securely the Phorm-provided servers and software?

gnilddif

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

When I visit the IP address, I am given a 301 redirect to the URL http://www.phorm.com/ - content length 309

The servers are giving me different times on their clocks, so my guess is that the actual site is hosted on the 2nd server, and in UK as per IP address.

www.phorm.com and webwise.bt.com are giving me clock times which suggest they are on the same server.

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

The BT Beta forums have been creaking for some time, and fall over every few days now. Yesterday they were routinely taking 45-60 seconds to respond to any action by users, logged in or not logged in. I'd incline towards the cock-up rather than the conspiracy theory - although I'm sure the BT network must be getting more confusing by the day with all the fiddling they are doing putting in their spykit, and re-routing things all over the place.

They have spoken of replacing the Beta forums with the same software used on the Business platform forums - but like the Webwise trials - no clear idea when.

No customer announcements about the failed forums - as usual. There is this, although I can't see how that would affect the bt.com end of things, and anyway it's well after 4.00am
Planned Outages:
We will be carrying out planned works on the BT Yahoo! Broadband platform from 02:00 to 04:00 on Tuesday 5th August. This is to perform essential network maintenance. During this time, customers may be unable to access the Buy to Click for up to 2 hours. We apologise for any inconvenience this may cause.

Anyway - why bother telling customers? What do they matter? As long as they keep paying their direct debits, what else matters? BT stopped talking to or listening to their customers a long time ago.