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

[Barkotron]

"I've got nothing to hide" has never been a good argument, and it isn't now. As far as a Russian spyware company which keeps its servers in China is concerned, it doesn't matter whether I've got anything to hide or not - it's none of their damn business what I and my family look at on the web, what I or my family type on web forums, what products I and my family are interested in buying, what interests I or my family have outside of being screwed for even more money by the slimeballs who run this kind of scam and then produce the weasel words we've seen out of Virgin/BT/Carphone Whorehouse about this technology.

This proves that Virgin has nothing but contempt for its customers and I will be cancelling all of my services the same day they start perpetrating this sickening breach of privacy. I will buy a Freeview box and use one any ISP which guarantees not to use Phorm or any similar technology. They can stuff their £115 per month.

[popper]

Originally Posted by Akia

This is just an example of the scare mongering thats going on. They will not be highjacking any adverts what so ever. Sites will sign up just like they do to Google Ads and choose where they want the ads placing. the only difference is that Google ads serve adverts based on what the page where the add is whereas phorm will serve ads based on what the user has been surfing for the last few hours.

Can we get confirmation that if this plan does go ahead that Cable Forum will not be signing up to serve ads from them even if means more money for them?

I still don't see what the fuss is all about, I've got nothing to hide and in the end it means more money for the sites I use as a make a habit of clicking ads on my favorite sites as I know that for each click the site is paid even better if the ad is something that I may be intrested in.

i wonder if CF, Theregister etc will sometime soon be getting a HTTPS URL as well? for the average UK user that doesnt really want their comments to storys and threads 3rd party logged,tracked and sold on to other paying partys.

Akia, are you really thinking this through enough?, whats your thoughts about when this collected data gets sold to another company(s) that correlated that data with a credit reference agencys and other related data companys?.

and you may find your (credit)rating dropping because of your familys online data, do you also ignore that massive profit making potential?.

im prity sure the companys wont ignore it if its allowed to continue, much like every single one of your payment records are passed to the CRAs for profit now.

thats assuming OC that you infact even get to know this personal Data sharing has happened to you and your data.

once its gone that far, how do you reverse your stance if indeed you do and can?.

[none]

Originally Posted by Mick

It's a shame because I'd seen them and I like them, but unfortunately - just a tad inappropriate for use on this forum.

Ok I've made child friendly versions of the anti-Phorm av & sig. Hopefully people will be able to use them on this board and others.

Feel free to share the links to others

av
[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2674/stopphormavke0.jpg

sig
[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/514/stopphormsiggv2.jpg

If anyone would prefer the adult versions please PM me.

[Stuart]

Originally Posted by none

Ok I've made child friendly versions of the anti-Phorm av & sig. Hopefully people will be able to use them on this board and others.

Feel free to share the links to others

av
[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2674/stopphormavke0.jpg

sig
[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/514/stopphormsiggv2.jpg

If anyone would prefer the adult versions please PM me.

[aMIGA_dUDE]

Originally Posted by none

Ok I've made child friendly versions of the anti-Phorm av & sig. Hopefully people will be able to use them on this board and others.

Feel free to share the links to others

av
[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2674/stopphormavke0.jpg

sig
[img]Download Failed (1)[/img]

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/514/stopphormsiggv2.jpg

If anyone would prefer the adult versions please PM me.

Could release them under cc license?

---------- Post added at 12:12 ---------- Previous post was at 12:03 ----------

I have just realised another issue with it being Opt-Out with cookie.

Note everything that works on port 80 (http) and there no way of add cookie's to it.

Software updates, yes some of them send back xml,html,rss files with version information. As they do not use cookies then the SPYCOMS business Phorm get's this information even if you do have cookie on your browser.

[none]

Could release them under cc license?

the problem is not with the cc licensing, but with the adult 'phrasing' contained in the av/sig. Therefor they cannot be displayed here publicly. If you want them just PM me

[dilli-theclaw]

Originally Posted by none

Ok I've made child friendly versions of the anti-Phorm av & sig. Hopefully people will be able to use them on this board and others.

Feel free to share the links to others

av

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/2674/stopphormavke0.jpg

sig

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/514/stopphormsiggv2.jpg

If anyone would prefer the adult versions please PM me.

Good stuff - cheers

[TheNorm]

I've finally made it though more than 400 posts, and now I'd like to ask a question.

Can this Phorm technology be used to identify paedophiles who download illegal pictures?

If so, I am going to answer "No" to the poll.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by TheNorm

I've finally made it though more than 400 posts, and now I'd like to ask a question.

Can this Phorm technology be used to identify paedophiles who download illegal pictures?

If so, I am going to answer "No" to the poll.

I Don't think so and anyway that would not make money for them so they would not bother checking. There is only one reason why they are doing this and one reason only £££££Â £Â£Â£Â£Â£Â£à ƒâ€šÃ‚£Ã‚£Â£Â£Â£Âà ‚£Ã‚£Â£Â£Â£Â£Ã ‚£Â£Â£Â£Â£Â £Ã‚£Â£Â£Â£Â£Ã⠀šÃ‚£Ã‚£Â£

---------- Post added at 15:27 ---------- Previous post was at 15:26 ----------

How do i get a graphic to show as my sig ?

[AbyssUnderground]

Originally Posted by Sirius

I Don't think so and anyway that would not make money for them so they would not bother checking. There is only one reason why they are doing this and one reason only £££££Â £Â£Â£Â£Â£Â£à ƒâ€šÃ‚£Ã‚£Â£Â£Â£Âà ‚£Ã‚£Â£Â£Â£Â£Ã ‚£Â£Â£Â£Â£Â £Ã‚£Â£Â£Â£Â£Ã⠀šÃ‚£Ã‚£Â£

---------- Post added at 15:27 ---------- Previous post was at 15:26 ----------

How do i get a graphic to show as my sig ?

In your User CP, go to signature, and underneath where you upload your avatar there is another box for uploading your sig. Upload it, return to the signature page and click the link next to it that says "Insert signature image" and {SIG PIC}{/SIGPIC} (with the square brackets) should appear inside the sig box.

Took me a while don't worry

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Mick

ISPs that have been signed up to this will encourage or try to encourage customers, not to opt out by going to Webwise. ISPs have been told to warn customers that they will not be protected by Webwise's Anti-Phishing's protection, but this is hardly an issue to worry about as I am sure most customers will have adequate protection anyway - the fact that there will be no protection on offer. or customers being told such information, should one decide to opt out or complain to their ISP - is blatant scaremongering to try to discourage 'opt outs' en mass.

How does webwise anti phishing compare to IE7 anti phishing?

[PeteTheMusicGuy]

If this thing is cookie based would it not just be better to add the cookie to the blocked cookies list in your browser and that way if you do clear you cache it's still blocked.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by PeteTheMusicGuy

If this thing is cookie based would it not just be better to add the cookie to the blocked cookies list in your browser and that way if you do clear you cache it's still blocked.

The cookie tells your browser not to display the adverts sent from Phorm so is required on your PC not required to be blocked on your PC. An opt-out on a PC with blocked cookies will just fail (though the website will probably not bother telling you that).

[flowrebmit]

Originally Posted by TheNorm

I've finally made it though more than 400 posts, and now I'd like to ask a question.

Can this Phorm technology be used to identify paedophiles who download illegal pictures?

If so, I am going to answer "No" to the poll.

Individuals, in trusted positions of authority, such as the Catholic church, have been abusing children a long time before the internet even existed.

If the technology does get modified so that government spy on the ordinary public, that also means that it can spy on our MPs (something that they don't seem very keen on with regards to other forms of electronic evesdropping - I wonder why?), and I predict that it will just drive criminals further underground making it even more difficult to catch them.

[popper]

if you were going to write to OFCOM in relation to any of this thread or thought they were setup and there to stand up for the UK consumer, it might be wise to read this new thereg story, very odd.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/03/03/lapdog_ofcom/
Ofcom stands up to Information Commissioner
...
Ofcom is going to the High Court to stop the British public getting access to a list of every mobile phone mast in the UK.

The telco regulator is appealing the Information Commissioner's decision that the public has the right to know where cellphone masts are located.
...
in 2007 an Information Tribunal upheld a Freedom of Information request and ruled that Ofcom must provide access to the Sitefinder database as a whole, in addition to allowing people to search small areas as they can now.

The network operators responded by saying they were under no obligation to provide the information, and if it was going to be shared in that fashion they might decide to keep it to themselves in future.

After three months of "constructive discussions" the mobile operators, excluding T-Mobile, have agreed to provide one last package of cell data while Ofcom takes the Information Commissioner to the High Court with their increasingly desperate claims about commercial confidentiality and terrorist risk.
...
"