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

[vicz]

Looks like we are having a 'Groundhog Day' moment http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/12...-page-193.html

Probably my fault, sorry

[mark777]

Originally Posted by Dephormation

Confirmed, Meglena Kuneva is in London now...

See agenda here.

"19-20.06 Visit to London "

Can't find any details what so ever anywhere on the face of the planet of the meeting who's attending or what they are meeting about (apart from the original MediaPost source).

Perhaps her cabinet members would appreciate some informative e-mails today? Just in case any letters were late arriving. Some of them are bound to be in London with her.

http://ec.europa.eu/commission_barro...cabinet_en.htm

Don't forget to include her PA.

[icsys]

Originally Posted by pseudonym

Nebuad looks to be by far the "superior" system if you want accurate targetting information.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NebuAd


It is also live in the US while phorm is still in its trial stages.

If Phorm want to compete I think they'll have to improve the amount of detail they collect.

Superior, but the same old antics...
A report from the open net advocacy groups describes the system as a "browser hijack," comparing it with two classic hacker attacks...

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/200...-forges-g.html

[Wildie]

Originally Posted by icsys

That could be me.
Answers (assuming I get them) are not due for several more weeks.


Conspiracy theory...

The home Office want ISP's to monitor web-traffic 'in the interests of security'. However the ISP's say they can't or won't do this.
Phorm technology can monitor all web traffic.
Phorm joins up with ISP's and give a cash incentive to the ISP's for the interception of their customers.
The Home Office gets what they want, the ISP gets a cash boost, Phorm makes a tidy profit.
Everyone is happy... well everyone except Joe Public. (Are you still with us Joe?)


Could this be why the ICO and Home Office are refusing to step on BT's toes?
Still think all this Phorm nonsense is just about targeted advertising??

It stinks don`t it.

[serial]

Originally Posted by icsys

Conspiracy theory...

The home Office want...

Rather than have to find the evil doers, its so much easier if they can "buy" a targetted "campaign" with Phorm. They pick the keywords to be analysed, set up a few channels, then anyone with a profile that causes concern they get a warrant and pull their complete history from the ISP.

[bluecar1]

Originally Posted by Ravenheart

Hmm.. these people are really vague on hard facts when it comes to the business of spying

http://www.clickz.com/showPage.html?page=3628009

from the article above re nebuad

"Q. In what markets are you strongest?

A. The U.S., but we're in Canada and launching in the U.K.
"

[Wildie]

Originally Posted by bluecar1

from the article above re nebuad

"Q. In what markets are you strongest?

A. The U.S., but we're in Canada and launching in the U.K.
"

ain`t they been stopped over the pond while they get poked about to see what comes out and how legal they aint.

[popper]

Originally Posted by Phormic Acid

It looks like I need to take that back. It seems NebuAd is not using a completely passive system as originally described. Previously, news articles had described a system where data was simply mirrored, processed and then stored against a hash value derived from the user’s IP address. A report by Robert Topolski for Free Press and Public Knowledge has found that NebuAd’s system behaves very much like Phorm’s obsolete PageSense.

Free Press/Public Knowledge Investigation Finds NebuAd Wiretaps Consumers and Hijacks Web Sites

the NebuAd report was interesting, i wonder when they will start UK Deployments assuming they can get ISP or Co-Location sites (yes you thought we didnt think about that [slightly less effective] option to you ) to Directly peer with the ISPs Internal Networks.

http://www.freepress.net/files/NebuAd_Report.pdf

[bluecar1]

i see people are selling phorm shares again so the price should be dropping again today

and "THEBULLY" has given up trying to bully me

[pseudonym]

Originally Posted by Phormic Acid

It looks like I need to take that back. It seems NebuAd is not using a completely passive system as originally described. Previously, news articles had described a system where data was simply mirrored, processed and then stored against a hash value derived from the user’s IP address. A report by Robert Topolski for Free Press and Public Knowledge has found that NebuAd’s system behaves very much like Phorm’s obsolete PageSense.

Free Press/Public Knowledge Investigation Finds NebuAd Wiretaps Consumers and Hijacks Web Sites

I've been following the reports about Nebuad, there were reports early on about user's acquiring cookies when visiting google so it was clear early on that it wasn't entirely passive.


One user mentioned acquiring cookies when he googled from:-

a.faireagle.com
ad.yieldmanager.com
ads.addynamix.com
adtrgt.com
burstnet.com
contextweb.com
doubleclick.net
fastclick.net
nebuad.adjuggler.com
network.realmedia.com
realmedia.com
trafficmp.com



Unlike PageSense, as Nebuad are less sensitive than Phorm about looking at IP addresses, it would only need to occassionally inject script tags into some requests for pages from certain sites, so that it could link the user's current IP address (and the profile built since the last injection) to their unique ID from their faireagle cookie and possibly also to transfer the profile ID to its partner ad-network's cookies.

Only modifying pages from certain sites would allow you to test for and avoid the sort of problems that affected pagesense (such as injected javascript appearing in posts on some forums *).

As most users use major search engines and the searches submitted to search engines provide the most valuable data, Google,Yahoo etc are logical targets.

I'm some what surprised that it actually injects a javasript (if that is what it is doing) as I expected it to simply include multiple script tags (src= the site they want to set/read cookies for) to pass parameters and the cookies and use the response to set cookies but return no actual javascript - the same way as the opt-in works.


EDIT: I also wondered if they might take a temporary hash of your google cookie, so they could identify specific users searches where a connection is shared, and would detect if the IP address has changed hands without needing to inject script tags into every google response.

* actually I'm surprised that Phorm overlooked this pitfall, the same issue affected a couple of firewall products that injected javascript to block certain page content and also a proxomitron script some years before.

[roadrunner69]

Originally Posted by bluecar1

and "THEBULLY" has given up trying to bully me

So now you can sleep soundly in your bed tonight

And because you're not trying to make a profit off selling peoples private data, with a clear conscience too ....probably

[bluecar1]

Originally Posted by pseudonym

I've been following the reports about Nebuad, there were reports early on about user's acquiring cookies when visiting google so it was clear early on that it wasn't entirely passive.


One user mentioned acquiring cookies when he googled from:-

a.faireagle.com
ad.yieldmanager.com
ads.addynamix.com
adtrgt.com
burstnet.com
contextweb.com
doubleclick.net
fastclick.net
nebuad.adjuggler.com
network.realmedia.com
realmedia.com
trafficmp.com

.

that looks like a nice list to put into IE to block cookies from

[NTLVictim]

Originally Posted by bluecar1

that looks like a nice list to put into IE to block cookies from

You're using IE???? More holes than a Klingon target!

[Privacy_Matters]

Originally Posted by icsys

NebuAd Services Privacy Policy

Information Collection
Our products do not require ISPs to provide us with access to their records regarding end-users’ personal information. NebuAd delivers its services without collecting and using personally identifiable information such as the following:

Email Addresses
Names
Street Addresses
Telephone Numbers
Social Security Numbers ⁄ Social Insurance Numbers
Numbers associated with your health plan insurance or other coverage
Financial information, including credit card numbers, login IDs, passwords, or bank account numbers

While we do not know the identity of these subscribers, NebuAd products do collect and use the following kinds of anonymous information:

Web pages viewed and links clicked on
Web search terms
The amount of time spent at some Web sites
Response to advertisements
System settings, such as the browser used and speed of the connection
ZIP code or postal code

Opt-Out
To opt-out of NebuAd’s information collection and targeted ads, it is necessary to install a cookie on your computer. This cookie identifies that you have opted-out.

If you delete the opt-out cookie, or if you change computers or Web browsers, you will need to opt-out again.


You could be forgiven in thinking they are the same company but with different trading names.

Ok, it says they don't collect address - but do collect postcodes.... Narrowing a user down to their STREET!!! Then how hard is it to get house number (Electoral Role) and Phone Number (Emmmm - Phone book maybe?)

Pfffft Who they trynna kid?

[bluecar1]

Originally Posted by NTLVictim

You're using IE???? More holes than a Klingon target!

unfortunatley require it for work (sharepoint etc)

tying it down and have it fairy tight, even ff is not perfect

quick question, one i don't know the answer to, it you block sites with host file, i assume that blocks the cookies as well?

peter