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

[Rchivist]

Originally Posted by Portly_Giraffe

Well, I sat behind Kent at the FIPR tenth anniversary seminar today. snip

I'll put together a report of the meeting and make it available here when I get a moment later in the week.

Thanks for going. Hope you had a shower when you got home. I'm looking forward to the report.

[mark777]

@ Portly_Giraffe

How about "Internet Tapping", although I think "Data Pimping" is the accepted form, but perhaps not in polite circles?

As Kent holds nearly 2 million shares, he lost nearly £3 million in that 10 minutes! He should pick his investments more wisely.

Come on, admit it, were you never tempted to flick chewed up bits of paper at the back of his neck?

Having missed both her TV appearances stammering her way through the legal advice / due dilligence speech I wondered what she actually looked like so I searched Google Images for "bt emma sanderson":

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

Ist image up "The Wipe-O-Matic 3000" from a recent cableforum post?

We beat BT's Official PR image?

What an accolade!

[warescouse]

Originally Posted by Portly_Giraffe

CUT...
Interestingly he quoted examples of soundbyte phrases which had taken hold in other situations and which had been effective in stalling unwelcome innovations: "Frankenstein foods" for GM, and "Spy chips" for consumer RFID. Anyone on the Forum got good ideas for an equivalent soundbyte phrase for Phorm?

CUT...

Great idea. I'll start the ball rolling:

ISD = Inline SpyISP Device
or
SpyISP Device

Next ....?

edit ...
mark777 beat me to it :-)

[Portly_Giraffe]

Originally Posted by mark777

@ Portly_Giraffe

How about "Internet Tapping", although I think "Data Pimping" is the accepted form, but perhaps not in polite circles?

As Kent holds nearly 2 million shares, he lost nearly £3 million in that 10 minutes! He should pick his investments more wisely.

Come on, admit it, were you never tempted to flick chewed up bits of paper at the back of his neck?

In fact about a month ago MacUser published my letter to them on Phorm using the title I'd supplied of "Pimp my Data", but I agree it probably needs to be something politer, and maybe not so IT biased.

I was indeed in the row immediately behind Kent, about four feet to his left. And yes I was tempted. Though if you met me you'd find me far too respectable looking to believe that.

[icsys]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHanff

Just quoted parts of that letter on the ADVFN thread and I have forwarded the info on to Chris Williams too (will do the same with Charles Arthur now).

Alexander Hanff

having re-scanned the interim PIA undertaken by 80/20, written by Simon Davies, I think perhaps a copy of the EU Comm's reply would help to correct the obvious errors in the following snippet from said interim PIA:

Based on the information and documentation we have reviewed, we believe that Phorm Technology does not make use of personal data as defined in the UK Data Protection Act (though not necessarily the data protection or privacy Acts of all countries). However the technology may prompt wider (albeit often perception based) privacy and intrusion concerns.

The general principles of personal data are defined in Directive 95/46/EC

For the purposes of this Directive:
(a) 'personal data 'shall mean any information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person ('data subject'); an identifiable person is one who can be identified, directly or indirectly, in particular by reference to an identification number or to one or more factors specific to his physical, physiological, mental, economic, cultural or social identity;

I would suggest that for the purposes of Directive 95/46/EC , Phorm's UID is an identification number.

[popper]

time once again to reitorate some of the facts the new members may have lost in this thread.....

heres an overview reminder of the Data Protection Act.
-----------------------------------------------
remember people, we have this: tell your friends, use it.
“UK consumers wake up to privacy”
link: http://www.ico.gov.uk/upload/documents/pressreleases/2008/information_rights_press_ release_final1.pdf
For a copy of the ‘Data Protection Guide for Dummies’ please go to http://www.ico.gov.uk
Our data protection rights
• An organisation should tell you what it is going to do with your information before you provide any details unless this is obvious

• Your information should only be used for the reason it was collected in the first place (unless you give your consent to your information being used in other ways)

• An organisation should not collect any information which is unnecessary. You only need to provide the basic information which is required to deliver the service required

• Your information should be kept accurate and up to date – if you ask any organisation to make changes to your details, it should do this

• An organisation should not keep your details if they are no longer needed

• An organisation must provide you with copies of all information held on you - if you ask. You can also ask an organisation to stop using your personal information if it is causing you damage or distress or if you wish to stop it being used for marketing purposes.

• An organisation must keep your personal information secure at all times

• An organisation should not transfer your personal details to another country unless adequate data protection arrangements are in place.
and then it goes on to say….

David Smith said: “For any of us to have trust in an organisation we must be confident that our information is held securely and processed in line with data protection rules.

If we all regularly start to ask the right questions then organisations will respond to public demand and take the protection of our personal information more seriously.

If organisations fail to recognise the importance of data protection they not only risk losing business. They could also face action from the Information Commissioners Office.”
--------------------------------------
theres also the copyright act POV, after all you own your personal (clickstream)data, its your property, to profit from or not as you please, its not your ISPs right to pirate your property is it.

BTW,of all the current Phorm threads on the net this seems to try to collect information,storys and comment, to inform the readers, its by far the longest thread though, so you have your work cut out catching up now.

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

---------
care of the US NY times and LadyMinion at
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/12/33628733-virgin-media-phorm-webwise-adverts-updated-page-102.html#post34510801 for first spoting it.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/20/business/media/20adcoside.html?ref=busin ess
Quote:
” As you browse, we’re able to categorize all of your Internet actions ,” said Virasb Vahidi, the chief operating officer of Phorm. ” We actually can see the entire Internet .”

The company, called Phorm, has created a tool that can track every single online action of a given consumer, based on data from that person’s Internet service provider.”



-------

1. If you are a customer of BT Retail (or of any other BT divisions e.g. BT Business) , Virgin Media or Carphone Warehouse Talk Talk, or any other company that thinks to profile your data for advertising , then you might like to write to them quoting the very clear The Data Protection Act 1998 section 11:

1. 11 Right to prevent processing for purposes of direct marketing
2. (1) An individual is entitled at any time by notice in writing to a data controller to require the data controller at the end of such period as is reasonable in the circumstances to cease, or not to begin, processing for the purposes of direct marketing personal data in respect of which he is the data subject.
3. (2) If the court is satisfied, on the application of any person who has given a notice under subsection (1), that the data controller has failed to comply with the notice, the court may order him to take such steps for complying with the notice as the court thinks fit.
4. (3) In this section "direct marketing" means the communication (by whatever means) of any advertising or marketing material which is directed to particular individuals.

-------
on a related note , i found this ElReg News report interesting, and in support of the 'commercial Piracy for profit' i keep saying the worlds DPI interception partys are actively moving forward with.

"whats your's is mine, whats mine is my own" mentality of the ISP related companys today....

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05...and_copyright/
"
Failing Web 2.0 stars pray for copyright abolition

Wanted: starving artists to help out web tycoons

Page: 1 2 Next >
By Andrew Orlowski → More by this author
Published Tuesday 27th May 2008 18:32 GMT

Remember the date - the one about an inch above the words you're reading now. 27 May 2008.

Two articles were published today of some note, and if you can put them in context, you can begin see the true, scary picture of internet economics today. The one that's usually too scary for the posh papers or broadcast media to describe....
"

[dav]

Originally Posted by icsys

<snip>
I would suggest that for the purposes of Directive 95/46/EC , Phorm's UID is an identification number.

How ironic. If I read that correctly the Phorm UID is condsidered as PII?

[jelv]

Originally Posted by AlexanderHanff

New Digg

http://digg.com/tech_news/EU_Commiss...ts_about_Phorm

Alexander Hanff

Dugg

[Dephormation]

Originally Posted by dav

How ironic. If I read that correctly the Phorm UID is condsidered as PII?

Its more personal even than your IP address.

UID is an abbreviation for User Identifier (in Phorm's own terms).

Its obviously a personal identifier. Why the ICO can't see this I don't know. Its either because they are very stupid, or simply can't understand what Phorm are doing.

I sympathise. I too have perception problems. I can't see the difference between ICO and a chocolate fireguard, an ashtray on a motorbike, and a one legged man at an arse kicking contest.

[NTLVictim]

Originally Posted by warescouse

Great idea. I'll start the ball rolling:

ISD = Inline SpyISP Device
or
SpyISP Device

Next ....?

edit ...
mark777 beat me to it :-)

How about Privacy Leech?

Or Parasiteware?

[jelv]

Originally Posted by warescouse

Great idea. I'll start the ball rolling:

ISD = Inline SpyISP Device
or
SpyISP Device

Next ....?

edit ...
mark777 beat me to it :-)

I'd suggest we need to identify the key facts that the phrase needs to convey:

I think ISP needs to be in there somewhere - to make it clear that it is individual ISP's doing it and suggest that switching gets away from the problem.

"Data" - I don't think that helps as it's a bit too nebulous - it's the fact that every page visited is being tracked is the issue rather than what data is collected as a result of the tracking

I wonder if linking in to a phrase people already recognise would work - something like "Big Brother ISPs"? That could link on to other headlines such as "Big Brother ISP's are watching YOU".

We've got to grab peoples attention and make them worried.

Edit: We've also got to steer clear of anything that means zilch to people without some IT knowledge - this needs to be aimed at he Sun reader.

[NTLVictim]

ISPy?

[jelv]

Originally Posted by NTLVictim

ISPy?

Clever!

Edit: Does ISPies work better or worse?

[Dephormation]

Originally Posted by popper

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05...and_copyright/
"
Failing Web 2.0 stars pray for copyright abolition

Wanted: starving artists to help out web tycoons

Thanks for that link Popper. Copyright is something I've been following with interest.

The power to enforce copyright is not in the hands of a corrupt government/lazy police/idiotic regulators... its in the hands of the people who own the content.

The unfortunate thing for ISPs, they can't pull the wool over the eyes of the people who's creative work is being stolen to make this scam work.

Pete.

---------- Post added at 08:59 ---------- Previous post was at 08:57 ----------

Originally Posted by jelv

Clever!

I think we need to avoid getting too clever here.

Parasitic spyware is something Joe Bloggs understands. If you get too creative, he'll get confused.