RIP privacy - it was good knowing you

Just in case anybody out there was still under the misapprehension that
there's any privacy left on the internet, have a look at this:

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/...iness/AD18.php

Surely this kind of stunt isn't even legal? Isn't modifying someone
else's web page before delivering it to the client a breach of the
author's copyright?

--
<http://ale.cx/> (AIM:troffasky) ((E-Mail Removed))
14:01:59 up 10 days, 17:04, 2 users, load average: 1.22, 1.17, 1.17
Convergence, n: The act of using separate DSL circuits for voice and data

alexd wrote:
> Just in case anybody out there was still under the misapprehension
> that there's any privacy left on the internet, have a look at this:
>
> http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/...iness/AD18.php
>
> Surely this kind of stunt isn't even legal? Isn't modifying someone
> else's web page before delivering it to the client a breach of the
> author's copyright?

Yes, but that's not what this is about. Best I can tell, all this does is
target you with /specific/ ads rather than just generic ones. In other
words, you will still /see/ adverts on any given site, they'll just be -
supposedly - more about stuff you might want to buy.

However, this has only just been announced and, as such, anything you read
about it is simple speculation until contracts are signed and details
released.

--
Carl Waring
DigiGuide:
Full: http://getdigiguide.com/?p=1&r=1495
Freeview (free): http://getdigiguide.com/?p=4&r=1495
Web-based: http://getdigiguide.com/?p=3&r=1495

"Carl Waring" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bDCuj.82066$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Yes, but that's not what this is about. Best I can tell, all this does is
> target you with /specific/ ads rather than just generic ones. In other
> words, you will still /see/ adverts on any given site, they'll just be -
> supposedly - more about stuff you might want to buy.
>
> However, this has only just been announced and, as such, anything you read
> about it is simple speculation until contracts are signed and details
> released.
>
> --

They wont be targetting me with any ads, I block the lot of them....

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:31:14 +0000, Carl Waring wrote:

> alexd wrote:
>> Just in case anybody out there was still under the misapprehension that
>> there's any privacy left on the internet, have a look at this:
>>
>> http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/02/...iness/AD18.php
>>
>> Surely this kind of stunt isn't even legal? Isn't modifying someone
>> else's web page before delivering it to the client a breach of the
>> author's copyright?
>
> Yes, but that's not what this is about. Best I can tell, all this does
> is target you with /specific/ ads rather than just generic ones. In
> other words, you will still /see/ adverts on any given site, they'll
> just be - supposedly - more about stuff you might want to buy.
>
> However, this has only just been announced and, as such, anything you
> read about it is simple speculation until contracts are signed and
> details released.

I'm sure this is nothing that a well set-up hosts file cannot deal with.

KeeWee wrote:
> "Carl Waring" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:bDCuj.82066$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Yes, but that's not what this is about. Best I can tell, all this does is
>> target you with /specific/ ads rather than just generic ones. In other
>> words, you will still /see/ adverts on any given site, they'll just be -
>> supposedly - more about stuff you might want to buy.
>>
>> However, this has only just been announced and, as such, anything you read
>> about it is simple speculation until contracts are signed and details
>> released.
>>
>> --
>
> They wont be targetting me with any ads, I block the lot of them....
>
>
>

MMm. keep a bit quiet on that one. So do I. One 'quite sponsored' site I
use a lot, is now entirely devoid of adverts on my browser.

If enough people do it, bye bye free internet sites of any value. ;-)

Its teh same with us when watching commercial TV. Not only do we use the
breaks to make coffee, we have a rule never to buy anything that is
advertised, on the grounds that it must be *WELL* overpriced to pay for
the sort of adverts they put on TV..

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, The Natural
Philosopher <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> Its teh same with us when watching commercial TV. Not only do we use the
> breaks to make coffee, we have a rule never to buy anything that is
> advertised, on the grounds that it must be *WELL* overpriced to pay for
> the sort of adverts they put on TV..

So if you're making coffee and not watching the ads, how do you know
which products are advertised and so which not to buy?
:-)

Kit

"Kit" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:190220082210461665%(E-Mail Removed)
: : In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, The
: : Natural Philosopher <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
: :
: : : Its teh same with us when watching commercial TV. Not
: : : only do we use the breaks to make coffee, we have a
: : : rule never to buy anything that is advertised, on the
: : : grounds that it must be *WELL* overpriced to pay for
: : : the sort of adverts they put on TV..
: :
: : So if you're making coffee and not watching the ads,
: : how do you know which products are advertised and so
: : which not to buy? :-)
: :
: : Kit

Call me old fashioned if you like, but I buy what I need at the time, not
what someone else tells me I want.

Ivor

Kit wrote:
> In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, The Natural
> Philosopher <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>> Its teh same with us when watching commercial TV. Not only do we use the
>> breaks to make coffee, we have a rule never to buy anything that is
>> advertised, on the grounds that it must be *WELL* overpriced to pay for
>> the sort of adverts they put on TV..
>
> So if you're making coffee and not watching the ads, how do you know
> which products are advertised and so which not to buy?
> :-)
>

That's the advantage of living with a partner...one makes coffee, the
other keeps score..

> Kit

Hi,

From that article:

"Customers of BT, Carphone Warehouse and Virgin Media could to opt out of
the new system when it gets under way next month. "

In any event I bet that Adblock Plus in Firefox could delete those adverts
before you see them.

Lots hope that these adverts do not count towards your monthly bandwidth
allowance, given that most folks won't want them or pay for them as part of
their "fair usage" allowance.

You always have a choice to move providers to someone who values your
custom, privacy and other folks copywrite.

Kind Regards

Simon

Simon Zerafa wrote:
> Hi,
>
> From that article:
>
> "Customers of BT, Carphone Warehouse and Virgin Media could to opt out of
> the new system when it gets under way next month. "
>
> In any event I bet that Adblock Plus in Firefox could delete those adverts
> before you see them.

No doubt. I block most ads anyway. But it won't address the privacy
aspect. Will "opting out" stop one's web traffic being scanned by a
spying company? I wouldn't think so for one moment - not that vm's
"support" people seem to half half a clue anyway.

....
> You always have a choice to move providers to someone who values your
> custom, privacy and other folks copywrite.


Moving in fact is non-trivial. Like many of vm's customers, our phone
and cable bb are bundled, so switching bb provider pretty much means a
change of phone number too; at best tedious. Not to mention the aggro of
trying to ensure continuity of service when switching from cable to adsl
when there's not even a BT line currently installed.

But if they push long and hard enough....


--
Mike Scott (unet <at> scottsonline.org.uk)
Harlow Essex England