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

20-07-2008, 03:27

I tried apmebf.com and got a redirect to a site owned by Commission Junction.

A quick check up on CJ shows that they are owned by ValueClick and that both companies are being sued in the US under a Class Act law suit realting to adware activity with a final ruling expected early next year. CJ were also dropped by eBay earlier this year at which point those "324k" monthly clicks dropped to around 30k.

Many non-techy computer users are aware of the presence and purpose of these tracking cookies and many more are now clued up on the sort of data gathering conducted by sites like Google.

What annoys me is the fact that Ken Turtleleg keeps wittering on about how his product is "safer" than these others but he forgets to mention that the other tracking apps will still be there. Even if Webwise is the most secure and none personalised system in the world it is still just another form of tracking and will do nothing to enhance privacy as all the rest will still be there.

The other fact that Phorm seem to ignore is that if DPI by ISPs is approved there will be a lot of competition and we won't just be trawled once when we access the internet - we'll be put through the same process dozens of times by the same or other companies as our webpage requests are not a simple, direct link conducted entirely on our own ISP's system.

If Phorm's system adds, say, a 1% overhead, you then have to factor in all of the other points in the chain where such inspections can take place. Every picture hosted off-site could involve another scan and so it goes on. In a very short time span the internet would end up with 1% useful traffic and 99% interception which will leave the ISPs having to purchase far greater bandwidth than at present. The very systems that the ISPs believe will make them money will cost them many more times as much as they make from a few adverts or they will be forced to raise their charges to the end-users.

The authorities are looking at the situation in terms of one interception per data request. That's not how it will happen and the internet will be massively overloaded within months unless action is taken to keep the internet open and free from any unnecessary interceptions.

20-07-2008, 03:27	#12343
Peter N Guest Location: Gloucestershire Posts: n/a	Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797] I tried apmebf.com and got a redirect to a site owned by Commission Junction. A quick check up on CJ shows that they are owned by ValueClick and that both companies are being sued in the US under a Class Act law suit realting to adware activity with a final ruling expected early next year. CJ were also dropped by eBay earlier this year at which point those "324k" monthly clicks dropped to around 30k. Many non-techy computer users are aware of the presence and purpose of these tracking cookies and many more are now clued up on the sort of data gathering conducted by sites like Google. What annoys me is the fact that Ken Turtleleg keeps wittering on about how his product is "safer" than these others but he forgets to mention that the other tracking apps will still be there. Even if Webwise is the most secure and none personalised system in the world it is still just another form of tracking and will do nothing to enhance privacy as all the rest will still be there. The other fact that Phorm seem to ignore is that if DPI by ISPs is approved there will be a lot of competition and we won't just be trawled once when we access the internet - we'll be put through the same process dozens of times by the same or other companies as our webpage requests are not a simple, direct link conducted entirely on our own ISP's system. If Phorm's system adds, say, a 1% overhead, you then have to factor in all of the other points in the chain where such inspections can take place. Every picture hosted off-site could involve another scan and so it goes on. In a very short time span the internet would end up with 1% useful traffic and 99% interception which will leave the ISPs having to purchase far greater bandwidth than at present. The very systems that the ISPs believe will make them money will cost them many more times as much as they make from a few adverts or they will be forced to raise their charges to the end-users. The authorities are looking at the situation in terms of one interception per data request. That's not how it will happen and the internet will be massively overloaded within months unless action is taken to keep the internet open and free from any unnecessary interceptions.