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

[MovedGoalPosts]

I'm not surprised that the average Virgin Media staffer hasn't heard of this yet. After all the information being released by VM is only that shown on the phorm site. If VM wanted to respect their customers they would at least have a statement by now on their own customer facing website.

[none]

Originally Posted by bw41101

Just the ordinary customer services. In fact, when I asked the representative to look at our website and read the info on Phorm for themselves (rather than try to explain it myself) the response (I felt) was one of genuinely not knowing anything about Phorm.

Obviously (it seems) the right hand isn't communicating with the left - nothing new there then. :

I touched on this in post #341

Originally Posted by none

If you want to speak to someone about Phorm and how it will supposedly work you can try ringing VM’s retentions department on - tel: 0800 052 0870

This so far has been the only department that seems to be able to verbally relay any information regarding Phorm. One can only assume that there have been numerous cancellation enquires due to Phorm, and as such the retentions guys have been ‘readily briefed’ as to what to say.

So, did it alleviate my concerns and fears?

Hell no, not even close! Phorm (webwise) was completely and utterly played down as being nothing more than harmless marketing info. TBH I was almost lost for words with their woolly explanation of how it worked. As if somehow I was the overreacting fool for being so concerned with it!!!

So,

Has anyone else rung retentions to querry Phorm (webwise)?

If so, what were you told?

Did it put your mind at rest?

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by mertle

I thought someone said PHORM russian.

They are, partly. The company itself is American, but the software used is written by people linked to Russian military intelligence.

---------- Post added at 21:14 ---------- Previous post was at 21:06 ----------

Originally Posted by bliss

If this is the case then what is all the talk on here that they still watch your browsing? And it's just the end product (Ads) that you don't see. I do tend to believe CF more than that piece of junk website though.

The problem is that the leaked BT technical presentation (they have already trialled the system despite stating they haven't) makes it look that the system can work in two ways: One prevents the system from tracking you if you opt out, and the other just blocks the ads.

That, plus the fact that Phorm themselves have been linked with the creation of rootkits leads me not to trust them.

[mertle]

Originally Posted by Stuart C

They are, partly. The company itself is American, but the software used is written by people linked to Russian military intelligence.

thanks for that although I do have a strange question many use AVG who is czech company is this not government military owned product. I might be wrong but I am sure I read it somewhere.

[aMIGA_dUDE]

A list of places worth complaining to about this issue

ICO (Data Protection)

http://www.ico.gov.uk/Home/complaint...rotection.aspx

Also start phoning up OFT via Consumer Direct

http://oft.gov.uk/contactus
http://www.consumerdirect.gov.uk/

Also Ofcom and there section about Privacy issues - spam email and offensive internet content is interesting

http://www.ofcom.org.uk/complain/internet/

---------- Post added at 15:37 ---------- Previous post was at 15:34 ----------

Originally Posted by mertle

thanks for that although I do have a strange question many use AVG who is czech company is this not government military owned product. I might be wrong but I am sure I read it somewhere.

Even if they are that is the user's choice ie it an Opt-In, no one is forcing it use upon any user. Nothing like what's going to be going with Phorm and it being a Opt-Out, as such it is SPYCOMS.

[Morden]

Disable cookies.

Then they cant track you.l

[dav]

Why should we have to severely restrict our ease of use of other, legitimate, websites we choose to visit just to avoid having Phorm's manure foisted upon us by disabling all cookies?

I'm sure our click data will still get passed to Phorm irrespective of whether they detect a cookie or not.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by Morden

Disable cookies.

Then they cant track you.l

That may not stop them. The system only uses cookies to tell if you have opted out.

[Morden]

If it can still track you with no cookies it must be getting a feed directly from the transport layer.

I think it may still be possible to do something about that.

[hOrZa]

They call the data anonymous but as this shows you can be tracked down

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

[Morden]

If you have a works provided VPN connection then surf through that as they cannot access it and will therfore not able to track you as your surfing is on another private network.

[Stuart]

Look a few posts up. BT have already trialled this system, and El Reg has got hold of a leaked presentation that goes into some details on how it works. Basically, the packets are intercepted and processed at the network switch level.

[Morden]

Well a VPN connection will stop them from intercepting then as these are encryped to a high enough level that unless you have a cray then forget about intercepting it. Even then it would take a cray several years to break the encryption.

I know that not a solution for everone, but if you do have access to vpn and a remote desktop then they cant track you, but your employer can.

[flowrebmit]

Would the "tap" into the network also read other types of internet traffic, e.g. external pop3 mail?

Originally Posted by RizzyKing

Being honest i hadn't thought about it before but YES my speed has suffered since VM took over and it is slower. When it was NTL my connection was stable and solid but now i routinely drop connection or slow to a crawl and have got nowhere contacting VM about it. To be honest till now i always put it down to over subscription but maybe they have been either trialling or reducing speed to the levels it would be with phorm and seeing how the customers take it.

I wonder if the 20meg customers are the experimental group? Their connections seem to have been up and down like yoyo's. .