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

[lucevans]

Originally Posted by Ravenheart

"Hi there
I work as part of the comms team for Phorm here in the UK. While the ongoing debate around privacy is healthy, and we welcome it, one or two points above need clarification.
Kent has been very transparent about the Adware – not Spyware - business he was previously involved with He has discussed this openly in media interviews and in conversations online. Adware is a software component designed to deliver ads as part of a legitimate, commercial product or service. The software was installed with the knowledge and consent of individual users, could be identified and uninstalled, and did not cause harm or ‘steal’ information.

So why was it classified as SPYWARE, not ADWARE, by many anti-spyware companies?

However, it became clear that it was difficult for users to distinguish Adware from Spyware.

So your defence is that all your "customers" were stupid, is it? Way to go in winning the PR battle

121 Media quickly decided that the model of providing downloadable software was a wrong turn for the business. [The company then took the unprecedented step of voluntarily shutting down the download business model - worth $5-6 million a year to the business.

Yes you had to shut it down quickly because a well-known American privacy advocacy movement was about to sue your ass if you didn't. (*Yet another example of the precise phaseology employed by Mr. Ertugrul: He has claimed in interviews that nobody was ever sued or taken to court over the rootkit saga - and that is absolutely true - but what he fails to mention is that had he not shut it down when he did, then he most certainly would have been sued- one influential group had already announced their intention to do exactly that)

Instead, it decided to concentrate on its ISP strategy of providing more relevant ads and higher levels of user privacy.

Translation: One avenue of spying was closed down, so we decided to exploit another one, in a country where the electronic privacy laws were sufficiently ambiguous for us to slip it in under the radar. Oh boy, that last calculation was a duff one wasn't it!

The move away from the old model to the ISP strategy was announced transparently to the market."

You call what happened to 18,000 BT customers in 2006 and again in 2007 "transparent" do you? Is English your first language?


Come on PR Team, these same platitudes are getting very old. Haven't they issued you with a new set yet?

PAY ATTENTION VM - THIS ISSUE IS NOT GOING AWAY

[OF1975]

Originally Posted by Ravenheart

Funny you should mention that, I was just looking up a few links for my reply.

http://blogs.zdnet.com/Spyware/index.php?p=820

http://www.f-secure.com/sw-desc/peopleonpage.shtml

So far

Add in this one too detailing the Apropos rootkit they wrote:

http://www.f-secure.com/sw-desc/apropos.shtml



---------- Post added at 22:47 ---------- Previous post was at 22:25 ----------

Apologies if most of you have already seen this but its great and I am posting it just in case people havent seen it:

http://www.thespoof.com/editorials/index.cfm?eID=2564

[CaptJamieHunter]

Originally Posted by OF1975

Apologies if most of you have already seen this but its great and I am posting it just in case people havent seen it:

http://www.thespoof.com/editorials/index.cfm?eID=2564

I've only just cleaned my keyboard from the last toastie splattering! (Comments about quitting sniffing glue at El Reg on the T5 cock up)

This reminds me of a Spitting Image sketch set in Apartheid South Africa. Permit me to borrow from it and offer a scene to you.

An online video broadcast. A gentleman with an Eastern European accent is stood behind a microphone.

"My fellow internet citizens! I feel the time has come for me to tell you the facts as they really are."

*cheers from the PR drones assembled there*

"Bananas are marsupials."

*cheers from the PR drones assembled there*

"Cars run on gravy"

*louder cheers from the PR drones assembled there*

"Salmon live in trees and eat pencils!"

*even louder cheers from the PR drones assembled there. Two PR drones pass out through excitement*

"All your data are belong to us! Trust us to give you the protection we say you need!"

*cheers from the PR drones drowned out by the corporate anthem*

This is satire. Or is it starting to come true....?

[Ravenheart]

My reply is done,

However, it became clear that it was difficult for users to distinguish Adware from Spyware. 121 Media quickly decided that the model of providing downloadable software was a wrong turn for the business. The company then took the unprecedented step of voluntarily shutting down the download business model - worth $5-6 million a year to the business.

My reply.. So users became confused? Well it seems the anti virus and trusted anti spyware software producers didn’t. When you say the company “voluntarily” shut down the business model is this another way of saying they shut it down before they appeared in court?

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Sp...-Distribution/

It's like shooting fish in a barrel

---------- Post added at 23:38 ---------- Previous post was at 23:23 ----------

Originally Posted by kt88man

Nicholas Bohm (FIPR) has said on ukcrypto that the BBC has interviewed him for tomorrow morning's BBC breakfast.

http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/pi...il/083940.html

Ooh just in time for the stock market to open

[mark777]

Originally Posted by Ravenheart

...
It's like shooting fish in a barrel
...

Sorry to be pedantic, but shouldn't it be "Rats"?

[Ravenheart]

The new Firefox 3 beta is out and one of the improvements over the last beta version includes:

http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/f.../releasenotes/

Malware Protection: malware protection warns users when they arrive at sites which are known to install viruses, spyware, trojans or other malware.

Wonder if it includes Phorm :P

[OF1975]

Good to have cableforum back up and running.

[Ravenheart]

\o/ it's back

[OF1975]

One disappointing thing is that people are still buying Phorm shares. Someone bought 1208 shares at 10:31am this morning. Maybe Phorm staff/directors trying to shore up the shares?

[CaptJamieHunter]

Did anyone see the BBC Breakfast interview this morning?

Good to have CF back - I was worried something unpleasant had happened.

[flashpaul]

BT Have updated there FAQ about there forthcoming trial of webwise

Its about time virgin provided some more information

[Ravenheart]

For anyone who missed it

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediaselector/c...bbram=1&asb=1l

http://news.bbc.co.uk/player/nol/new...news=1&bbcws=1

And just in...

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04...orm_interview/

[CaptJamieHunter]

Usual BBC spin and whitewash. Pathetic.

It's already been proven that the technology works by monitoring *all* your activity, not just your search activity. Pah!

And no mention of BT's partner in crime, Phorm. I wonder why this is? Does the BBC have some kind of hidden alliance with or interest in Phorm? It might go some way to explaining their poor reporting of this subject thus far.

[3x2]

Did anyone see the BBC Breakfast interview this morning?

Interview? I saw the "item" in the 8-9 slot. I don't remember questions just a simple introduction and then a PR droid from BT giving a speech about how it's OK because it was all anonymous. Then off to the next item (babies & nannies?)
If there was a question I didn't hear it - just a pre-recorded speech from BT PR. perhaps the earlier slots did?

Two questions only needed to be asked. "Did you intercept customers communications on the following dates? " What safe harbour provision within RIPA do BT believe authorised those illegal interceptions?

The BBC "news" is a joke.

[Ravenheart]

Bottom of that latest Register article says that BT will get a grilling on Channel 4 News today too.

Things are heating up on the BT forum again.

http://www.beta.bt.com/bta/forums/th...t=450&tstart=0

(thanks for the link Matty you lurker)