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

SimonHickling · 03-05-2008, 19:28

Following a stock text reply from BT with some bits about how they have no way of identifying the people involved in the trials, I had this thought -

If the privacy laws apply to the PEOPLE at the ends of the communication, what happens when I use a friends PC and they are opted-in? Or for that matter, as discussed previously, several members of the same household, with differing views on profiling?

If BT did move to a network based routing solution, their suggestion that people use different logins to their PC would not work.

A better way for them to do this (ethically) would be a piece of software on the client PC (a browser plug-in) which asks whenever the browser is opened, whether or not the user wants their browsing profiled. Of course that sounds too much like spy-ware, but would be much more acceptable to me if it was open about it.

I'm still confused with how this thing really works, as a web page producer. On one hand we have the spectre of deep packet inspection, and on the other suggestions that the robots.txt file can be set to keep them out (I will be asking the direct question regarding user-agent [again]). I'm sure I've seen something suggesting that they will cache the robots.txt file for 20 days. If this is the case then webmasters of the world need to know the agent string and the start date of the trials in order to avoid being intercepted.

I'm getting increasingly angry that this seems to be a case of a small number of big companies against a number of like minded individuals with no united voice. Where are the people who should be representing us? Talking to MPs is all well and good (and the right thing to do), but they will not get anything sorted out before the trials (and possibly the roll-out) start. Where is OFCOM?

I understand (I think) the reticence of the ICO and HO to get involved, but this is such a big thing that I would like to think that there is some similar body which is able to investigate this prior to it being rolled out. With the best will in the world I can't see any action being taken once it's out of the box.

Some truthful, spin-free answers would make my day.

Any way that's the end of my Saturday rant.

03-05-2008, 19:28	#5592
SimonHickling Inactive Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 66	Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797] Following a stock text reply from BT with some bits about how they have no way of identifying the people involved in the trials, I had this thought - If the privacy laws apply to the PEOPLE at the ends of the communication, what happens when I use a friends PC and they are opted-in? Or for that matter, as discussed previously, several members of the same household, with differing views on profiling? If BT did move to a network based routing solution, their suggestion that people use different logins to their PC would not work. A better way for them to do this (ethically) would be a piece of software on the client PC (a browser plug-in) which asks whenever the browser is opened, whether or not the user wants their browsing profiled. Of course that sounds too much like spy-ware, but would be much more acceptable to me if it was open about it. I'm still confused with how this thing really works, as a web page producer. On one hand we have the spectre of deep packet inspection, and on the other suggestions that the robots.txt file can be set to keep them out (I will be asking the direct question regarding user-agent [again]). I'm sure I've seen something suggesting that they will cache the robots.txt file for 20 days. If this is the case then webmasters of the world need to know the agent string and the start date of the trials in order to avoid being intercepted. I'm getting increasingly angry that this seems to be a case of a small number of big companies against a number of like minded individuals with no united voice. Where are the people who should be representing us? Talking to MPs is all well and good (and the right thing to do), but they will not get anything sorted out before the trials (and possibly the roll-out) start. Where is OFCOM? I understand (I think) the reticence of the ICO and HO to get involved, but this is such a big thing that I would like to think that there is some similar body which is able to investigate this prior to it being rolled out. With the best will in the world I can't see any action being taken once it's out of the box. Some truthful, spin-free answers would make my day. Any way that's the end of my Saturday rant.