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Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]
View Poll Results: Will you be opting out of the Virgin Ad Deal?
Yes, Definitely. 958 95.51%
No, I am quite happy to share my surfing habits with anyone. 45 4.49%
Voters: 1003. You may not vote on this poll

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Old 08-05-2008, 04:46   #6001
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

exactly my thought, rock and a hard place spings to mind
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Old 08-05-2008, 05:10   #6002
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Anyone reckon VM might try to fast-track something if the date is significant?
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Old 08-05-2008, 08:00   #6003
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicz View Post
Q) Do you want to join Webwise for free and receive anti-phishing protection and more relevant advertising?

A) 90% say "yes please" as they bend over and drop their metaphorical pants.

Although that becomes a problematic to advertise the service under the The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 mentioned in a post above, which I have also copied to the BT Beta forum. The first part of the regulations prohibits misleading actions and omissions. Therefore, companies can't miss out important facts about a product or service that would affect your decision to buy. Which may just be relevant to the way in which customers are invited to join the Webwise trials.


http://www.fool.co.uk/news/your-mone...oowftxt0010011
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Old 08-05-2008, 08:41   #6004
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

In case no-one else has pointed it out yet - the anti-Phorm petition is now at No 3 after only two months.

http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/

.... and this thread goes over 6000 posts. Keep it up!
 
Old 08-05-2008, 08:45   #6005
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Good news

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Old 08-05-2008, 08:57   #6006
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Quote:
Originally Posted by R Jones View Post
Although that becomes a problematic to advertise the service under the The Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008 mentioned in a post above, which I have also copied to the BT Beta forum. The first part of the regulations prohibits misleading actions and omissions. Therefore, companies can't miss out important facts about a product or service that would affect your decision to buy. Which may just be relevant to the way in which customers are invited to join the Webwise trials.


http://www.fool.co.uk/news/your-mone...oowftxt0010011

So although vicz postette was a slightly amusing piffle it should really be read like a packet of cancer smokes with 80% of the box covered in health warnings.

Q) Do you want to join Webwise for free and receive anti-phishing protection and more relevant advertising?

******************

*** W A R N I N G ***

******************

WebLies will seriously damage your privacy and is a dangerous system written by Russian Hackers responsible for some of the most malicious spyware/rootkits ever produced. WebLies is an Intra-ISP Spyware (Spyware) and it will read all your personal and private communications with no tangible benefits for you the consumer as its anti-Phishing scam is a redundant hoax already provided by your browser (and|or anti-malware scanner) a cynical ploy to hook you up in order to allow Phorm**** to profit from selling your private details to its immoral unethical unscrupulous partners.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED: DO NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING FROM THE BANDIT PRORMSCUM -- WebLies is DANGEROUS!!!

A) 99% say "NO!" as they bend Kent Ertugrul over and pack him into a little suitcase to be posted back to Moscow, Russia.



Thank god for trading standards, public warnings and correct representation of dangerous products likely to damage your health.
Do you think the fonts should be bigger and bolder, for more emphasis of Phormscums danger?
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Old 08-05-2008, 09:02   #6007
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard D&R View Post
Noticed this letter in yesterday's Independent. Couldn't see it mentioned here.

Privacy? What have you got to hide?

Sir: I have been a dissatisfied Virgin Media customer for about 18 months. Since I am about to move house, I contacted the Virgin Media customer-service centre to request the cancellation of my broadband service. The customer service representative gave me the standard spiel: "Can I ask why you don't want to continue your subscription – we can move your service to your new address" and so on. I did not want to get into my reasons for leaving, but he was very insistent. In the end, I gave in and told him that I objected to Virgin Media's adoption of the controversial web-tracking technology known as Phorm/Webwise/OIX.

His response was predictable: "I don't think you understand this properly, let me explain...", to which I replied that not only was I fully aware of the inner workings of the technology (being an IT professional), but I objected to it on principle and saw it as a breach of my privacy.

His response was unbelievable. He said: "So, have you got something to hide then, Tom?"

After a pause, I asked whether he was insinuating that I was a terrorist or a paedophile, to which he replied "Well, it's pretty clear you have something to hide."

I am pursuing this matter with Virgin Media and have been assured by a manager that this was a one-off incident. I am slightly suspicious of this assertion, however, as call-centre employees are trained to follow scripts and to respond to questions in specific ways.

Tom Cunliffe

Oxford
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion...an-821624.html
After reading that I am spitting feathers and my blood is boiling. There is a huge difference between this kind of technology and spying being done to combat terrorism or child pornography and this technology being leveraged just to target adverts at people. Whoever advised VM customer service reps to use that argument needs a damn good a$$ kicking.
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Old 08-05-2008, 10:22   #6008
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Share price diving this morning so far

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Old 08-05-2008, 10:43   #6009
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHanff View Post
Share price diving this morning so far

Alexander Hanff
That cheers me up some. Morning Alexander.
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Old 08-05-2008, 10:46   #6010
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Hmm I think we are danger of losing the plot a little bit here. All I want is to use my VM broadband knowing that my browsing is not being profiled or processed in any way by VM or their scumware lackeys. I don't feel any obligation to defend those who are too stupid / apathetic to not opt in to something they don't understand. I don't feel any particular animosity to VM for investigating phorm, they couldn't afford to ignore a technology that was touted to make them £85m a year - equiv to approx 150,000 users - and they certainly couldn't allow BT to steal a march on them with this unchallenged. They have not deployed it yet - there is no real evidence even of them having trialed it outside of the lab - and whatever way any opt-in question is phrased many users will agree to opt-in because they trust the Virgin brand and trust that VM will not screw them over. And generally VM are one of the more consumer-friendly companies out there, which doesn't make them saints because, after all, they are in business to make money. For many it is the strength of their brand and the image of the bearded one that engenders this trust, hopefully we can help VM understand the consequences to the Virgin brand if people feel they have betrayed this trust. The fact is VM remain in the cable business which is more than Telewest or NTL managed, and their business is to sell advertising through as many channels as they can and they are pretty good at that aspect of it.

---------- Post added at 09:46 ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 ----------

Quote:
Originally Posted by AlexanderHanff View Post
Share price diving this morning so far

Alexander Hanff
Good to see but its not a victimless crime - not good for the industry generally if small shareholders continue to be taken for a ride on tech stocks.
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Old 08-05-2008, 10:46   #6011
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Just thought of another one..




Webunwise




..just click if you're thick.
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Old 08-05-2008, 10:47   #6012
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

@vicz

As a user you may have the choice of whether to opt in or not. As a website owner I do not (unless I also remove my website from all search engines).
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Old 08-05-2008, 10:50   #6013
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicz View Post
Hmm I think we are danger of losing the plot a little bit here. All I want is to use my VM broadband knowing that my browsing is not being profiled or processed in any way by VM or their scumware lackeys. I don't feel any obligation to defend those who are too stupid / apathetic to not opt in to something they don't understand. I don't feel any particular animosity to VM for investigating phorm, they couldn't afford to ignore a technology that was touted to make them £85m a year - equiv to approx 150,000 users - and they certainly couldn't allow BT to steal a march on them with this unchallenged. They have not deployed it yet - there is no real evidence even of them having trialed it outside of the lab - and whatever way any opt-in question is phrased many users will agree to opt-in because they trust the Virgin brand and trust that VM will not screw them over. And generally VM are one of the more consumer-friendly companies out there, which doesn't make them saints because, after all, they are in business to make money. For many it is the strength of their brand and the image of the bearded one that engenders this trust, hopefully we can help VM understand the consequences to the Virgin brand if people feel they have betrayed this trust. The fact is VM remain in the cable business which is more than Telewest or NTL managed, and their business is to sell advertising through as many channels as they can and they are pretty good at that aspect of it.

---------- Post added at 09:46 ---------- Previous post was at 09:44 ----------
But the ISP customer is only half of this illegallity - the website owner is the other half. And the arrangements that are in place to "presume" informed consent are pathetic - if a webmaster allows Google, he/she is presumed to be consenting to Phorm/Webwise and the website's intellectual property AND the personal private unique data exchange with their site visitor is profiled and used to make profit for others. Don't forget the webmasters.
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Old 08-05-2008, 10:59   #6014
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Do we actually know if it is Google they look for in robots.txt or is it the any agent string? I posed this question a bit back and (unless I missed it) there was no answer:
Quote:
Originally Posted by jelv View Post
Does anyone know if they are using the specific user agent for Google or is it the any agent setting they use? So would
Code:
User-agent: Google
Disallow:

User-agent: *
Disallow: /
work as it should - Google allowed in but Phorm/Webwise kept out?
If (unlikely as it is) they do obey the robots.txt rules we need a robots.txt file putting together which includes all the known valid agents and barring *
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Old 08-05-2008, 11:00   #6015
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Re: Virgin Media Phorm Webwise Adverts [Updated: See Post No. 1, 77, 102 & 797]

Just had a thought here. Would it be worth us writing to the Advertising Standards Authority in particular with regards to Phorm and children seeing the adverts?
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