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

[JackSon]

Originally Posted by OF1975

This does lead on to one issue regarding Phorm too. Phorm claim that will be ignoring sensitive medical information but how are they going to achieve this? Some kind of blacklist of medical conditions or medical websites and forums? Does anyone who went to the meeting know if that issue was dealt with or explained further in the Q & A session?

My interpretation of things is (please someone educate me if I am incorrect) that when Phorm said no medical data is used, I think that was regards to their advertising channels. It will still be likely that medical terms and such will still go through the profiler, but they will not match up with any commercial categories and thus serve no targetted ads.

[AlexanderHanff]

Originally Posted by JackSon

My interpretation of things is (please someone educate me if I am incorrect) that when Phorm said no medical data is used, I think that was regards to their advertising channels. It will still be likely that medical terms and such will still go through the profiler, but they will not match up with any commercial categories and thus serve no targetted ads.

Pretty much yeah.

Alexander Hanff

[BeckyD]

Originally Posted by OF1975

This does lead on to one issue regarding Phorm too. Phorm claim that will be ignoring sensitive medical information but how are they going to achieve this? Some kind of blacklist of medical conditions or medical websites and forums? Does anyone who went to the meeting know if that issue was dealt with or explained further in the Q & A session?

I'm guessing that Kent won't be accepting any advertisers in the healthcare fields into the OIX network, rather than blocking keywords in customer's browsing habits. Same with the adult and gambling industries.

However, those three advertising groups are some of the most aggressive when it comes to promoting their products. So it may all be a matter of them paying the right price. Cynical, I know, but this whole situation revolves around money in the first place.

EDIT / JackSon said it first and better.

As the technology has never before been the subject of a PIA wouldn't a truely accurate Privacy Impact Assessment require the product being run in a live environment so that scenarios could be created and system response observed?

Or is it just theory based - as in "what if" along the lines of Risk Assessment?

Is there a Phorm/Webwise trial currently in progress?

[G UK]

As the technology has never before been the subject of a PIA wouldn't a truely accurate Privacy Impact Assessment require the product being run in a live environment so that scenarios could be created and system response observed?

Its perfectly possible to run in simulation to a reasonable degree of accuracy to be able to run a PIA on what a system says its meant to do and various scenarios based on that.

Unfortunately I doubt you will get in a PIA what a system could do with a few software tweaks, as in this case is possible. I expect the PIA to cover what the system will do initially. This current state is bad enough but the possibilites as stated by Phorm themselves are almost mind boggling.

[Rchivist]

Originally Posted by tdadyslexia

I run a number of web sites, I am going to move them to a secure Server, so that I can Block BT and if necessary Block all of Virgin Media & Talk Talk customers as well, as Blocking All of BT customers!

I am sorry BT customers, but BT have left me with no alternative.

According to BT you can tell them the site names and ask them to be added to Phorm/Webwise block list and they won't visit you. that's what they told me when I informed them they did not have consent to visit my websites.

[cimt]

Originally Posted by tdadyslexia

I run a number of web sites, I am going to move them to a secure Server, so that I can Block BT and if necessary Block all of Virgin Media & Talk Talk customers as well, as Blocking All of BT customers!

I am sorry BT customers, but BT have left me with no alternative.

I'm guessing the websites are illegal in a way?

Because if so you'd be destroying your userbase by banning them from the websites.

[tdadyslexia]

Originally Posted by cimt

I'm guessing the websites are illegal in a way?

No. You can see a list of them Here.

Because if so you'd be destroying your userbase by banning them from the websites.

Yes I will be losing a number of users, but watt can I do but ban all of them, because I don't trust BT to do the right thing.

[Paddy1]

Originally Posted by cimt

I'm guessing the websites are illegal in a way?

That's an unwarranted slur.

It strikes me that this could be a good way of putting pressure on the ISPs. I know Google aren't going to actually block an entire ISPs users but even if they were to threaten it it would be headline news.

Even better, if BT's policy of allowing web sites to opt out of having their traffic phormed continues after the trials, I would hope Google would be one of the first to do so - blowing a huge hole in Phorm's business plan.

[SBD]

Will you be opting out of the Virgin Ad Deal? = Yes, Definitely.

[bigbadcol]

Originally Posted by R Jones

According to BT you can tell them the site names and ask them to be added to Phorm/Webwise block list and they won't visit you. that's what they told me when I informed them they did not have consent to visit my websites.

Who do I contact at BT to have my sites excluded?

I do not want my sites being used to profit anybody. I do not have and never will have adverts on my site. I do not want Phorm to profit by profiling my work and and using it for profit.

Thanks

col

[Tarquin L-Smythe]

Originally Posted by Paul Delaney

As the technology has never before been the subject of a PIA wouldn't a truely accurate Privacy Impact Assessment require the product being run in a live environment so that scenarios could be created and system response observed?

Or is it just theory based - as in "what if" along the lines of Risk Assessment?

Is there a Phorm/Webwise trial currently in progress?

There has to my knowledge been two trials however they were illegal and it would appear that they served no other purpose other that finding that webwise has issues that to date have not been addressed,

On a sub issue why would people who have been illegally included in a trial by their ISP and a known spyware Company believe anything they say they will not do, use, look at or process.

Originally Posted by Paul Delaney

Is there a Phorm/Webwise trial currently in progress?

Do you think 'they' would tell us if there was?

[Kursk]

Originally Posted by JohnHorb

Do you think 'they' would tell us if there was?

I wonder where the PR people are these days? We can be sure that those involved won't be sitting on their thumbs; the stakes are too high. Incidentally, did anyone else have trouble accessing the forum recently? Was the forum down temporarily?