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

[PC_Arcade]

Does anyone know whether this is restricted to VirginMedia, or will ntltelewest customers be included in this phorm rubbish?

[OF1975]

I have received a reply from one of my MEP's that I emailed last week. In my original email I forgot to ask permission to post the reply here so I have followed it up with that request now and if I get an email back giving the nod then I will post it here.

[3x2]

Had a bad day? Things not going well? Need something to make you smile? Watch Phorm Share price tumble here: http://www.iii.co.uk/investment/deta...PHRM.L&it%3Dle

If you get really bored look at the 1 day chart - you can see the morning is spent quickly dumping the stock purchased the previous afternoon (on returning from the Pub?). Then new investors get back from the Pub and start the whole cycle again. I'm sure the markets have a name for this - anyone?

[OF1975]

Originally Posted by 3x2

If you get really bored look at the 1 day chart - you can see the morning is spent quickly dumping the stock purchased the previous afternoon (on returning from the Pub?). Then new investors get back from the Pub and start the whole cycle again. I'm sure the markets have a name for this - anyone?

Interesting spot and dagnabit... now I am peeved. The stock is rising. Its up 3.52% today. The increase in the online petition has slowed dramatically too. ARGH!

[CaptJamieHunter]

Just thought I'd mention in my reply to Ian Woodham (VM's Data Protection Officer) I asked him directly:

"Please confirm that there is no equipment provided by or in any way connected to Phorm on the Virgin Media network."

The reply was dated 19th March so I wouldn't expect to see a reply until the start of April. If/when it arrives the relevant part of the response will be posted here.

Then if Phorm is detected as present on the VM network before any announcement is made there is something to nail them with.

Remember that webwise and oix cookies will appear in your browser if you visit sites that are signed up to oix. That means visiting The Guardian's website will get you the cookies.

[kt88man]

Originally Posted by CaptJamieHunter

Remember that webwise and oix cookies will appear in your browser if you visit sites that are signed up to oix. That means visiting The Guardian's website will get you the cookies.

I am really rather intrigued by that, perhaps you could give an example of the webwise and oix cookies that you are receiving from the Guardian website.

[Florence]

After looking at the shares for Phoirm I started to read the comments....... I am alarmed by this latest one by parax.

It doesn't matter if users don’t opt in to the system, Phorm are not going to give two hoots about the quality of data collected, Kent has reassured 'the concerned public' that only the last ten keywords are associated with the pseudonyms anyway, so just what quality will the data be anyway? it is likely to be replaced every two pages...
The fact remains they make their money from marketing people, who believe that the ads are targeted, and hence pay premium rates. This whole system is just designed to take the marketing buck, especially on lower premium sites where companies think they can get better targeting, ie if you cant afford to advertise your car products on a car website put your ads on oix instead and people will get them on the next non-premium page (read porn site) they visit instead. All sounds perfect and that’s what earns the money. (if you just ignore the privacy concerns)
So even with opt-in webwise are still going to use the same sales pitch and will still take the same marketing dollar. The ads will be served whether a user is an opt in or not, After all marketing is all about perceptions and assumptions, not facts.
Phorm, Webwise & OIX all in the same boat here. There is money to be made, and still will be with Opt in. However the desire of Phorm to shake 121media’s dirty spy-ware image really isn’t going to work, they are after all doing the same thing (collecting private data) in a different way (using ISP resources instead of users PC's).

The more I wonder the WWW looking at phorm the more I do not want to CON-phorm to this.

Roll on Friday and BT line.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by PC_Arcade

Does anyone know whether this is restricted to VirginMedia, or will ntltelewest customers be included in this phorm rubbish?

Everyone who connects to Virgin media's network is a Virgin Media customer. There is no such thing as an NTL or Telewest customer now.

[CaptJamieHunter]

Originally Posted by kt88man

I am really rather intrigued by that, perhaps you could give an example of the webwise and oix cookies that you are receiving from the Guardian website.

Visiting http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/...ate_lives.html (for example) will get you a Dephormation pop up advising webwise and oix content is there.

That's assuming you have the Dephormation add on installed in your Firefox browser.

[lostandconfused]

Originally Posted by Stuart C

Everyone who connects to Virgin media's network is a Virgin Media customer. There is no such thing as an NTL or Telewest customer now.

What about ntl:telewest business accounts? I would have thought they they still use the Virgin Media network, but havent been branded as yet

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by 3x2

If you get really bored look at the 1 day chart - you can see the morning is spent quickly dumping the stock purchased the previous afternoon (on returning from the Pub?). Then new investors get back from the Pub and start the whole cycle again. I'm sure the markets have a name for this - anyone?

Pump and Dump if that is really it. A stock like this will take lead from the US though so most activity will happen after the US markets open, thus active afternoon trading.

[kt88man]

Originally Posted by CaptJamieHunter

Visiting http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/...ate_lives.html (for example) will get you a Dephormation pop up advising webwise and oix content is there.

That's assuming you have the Dephormation add on installed in your Firefox browser.

I see... Buts that's simply a warning that the page viewed had a URL that contained oix.net, oix.com, phorm.com, webwise.net or webwise.com within the page - it does not mean that you have received a cookie...

Including, for example, this link http://oix.com/ in this post will cause Dephormation to give it's advisory warning.

edit:

This is how the author of Dephormation is searching at the moment:

    // SEARCH PAGE URL AND PAGE TEXT FOR REFERENCES TO PHORM 
    if (preferences.getBoolPref("showOIXAdvertAlert"))
    {
        // v1.2 introduced better regexps, and case insens searches
        // v1.3 enhanced search to include full page innerhtml and href
        var stringOIXSearchTarget = doc.location.href + " " + doc.body.innerHTML;

        dump(stringOIXSearchTarget);

        if(
            (stringOIXSearchTarget.search(/oix[.]net[/]/i)     > -1) 
         || (stringOIXSearchTarget.search(/oix[.]com[/]/i)     > -1) 
         || (stringOIXSearchTarget.search(/phorm[.]com[/]/i)   > -1) 
         || (stringOIXSearchTarget.search(/webwise[.]net[/]/i) > -1) 
         || (stringOIXSearchTarget.search(/webwise[.]com[/]/i) > -1) 
          )
      {
        alert(this.strings.getString("PhormSiteWarning"));
      }
    }

I expect as more information becomes available the search will be refined.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by PC_Arcade

Does anyone know whether this is restricted to VirginMedia, or will ntltelewest customers be included in this phorm rubbish?

No such thing as an ntltelewest customer any more you are all customers of VM (look at the logos on your bill) so this will apply to any VM customer.

[AlexanderHanff]

Originally Posted by OF1975

I have received a reply from one of my MEP's that I emailed last week. In my original email I forgot to ask permission to post the reply here so I have followed it up with that request now and if I get an email back giving the nod then I will post it here.

You don't need permission to post responses from politicians. Everything they put their name to as part of their job in response to a public enquiry is public domain.

Alexander Hanff

[OF1975]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHanff

You don't need permission to post responses from politicians. Everything they put their name to as part of their job in response to a public enquiry is public domain.

Alexander Hanff

You most likely are correct Alexander but considering the fundamental issues here are matters of privacy (notwithstanding the interception angle too) I feel its important to keep the moral high ground and not leave myself open to accusations of hypocrisy by posting without asking permission first.