Virgin Media - sell customers out.

Virgin Media have agreed to give Phorm access to customers browsing
records, letting it track a web user's every move.

Customers can opt out of the new system when it is introduced next
month. But they will be encouraged to stay.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/te.../18target.html


My Aunty Hildred is really annoyed about this, and she's only bin with
Virgin Media for over a month.
I told her, you shud have listened to Gonz!
Anyway...
I think OPT IN shud be the option, but it means they get less money.

"Gonz" <T o p @ S e c r e t . c o m> wrote in message
news:iOjuj.24$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Virgin Media have agreed to give Phorm access to customers browsing
> records, letting it track a web user's every move.
>
> Customers can opt out of the new system when it is introduced next
> month. But they will be encouraged to stay.
>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/te.../18target.html
>
>
> My Aunty Hildred is really annoyed about this, and she's only bin with
> Virgin Media for over a month.
> I told her, you shud have listened to Gonz!
> Anyway...
> I think OPT IN shud be the option, but it means they get less money.

I've bin havin a read about this on Phorms site.
What it means is that they will effectively be censoring your browsing,
and replacing normal ads with ones that both Phorm and Virgin Media
*want* you to see.

I think the part where they are really goin to fall foul of is that it
is an *opt out* only thing.

They will be hidin behind the fact that they will know you are browsing
a suspected fraudulent website, by telling you when you click on one.
They seem to think that this will make people accept this more easier,
when infact it just shows how intrusive this whole thing really is, and
that you are automatically part of it if you are a Virgin Media
customer.

http://www.phorm.com/about/faq.php?_faqs=4,5#webwise

On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:05:37 -0000, "Gonz" <T o p @ S e c r e t . c o
m> wrote:

>Virgin Media have agreed to give Phorm access to customers browsing
>records, letting it track a web user's every move.
>
>Customers can opt out of the new system when it is introduced next
>month. But they will be encouraged to stay.
>
>http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/te.../18target.html
>
>
>My Aunty Hildred is really annoyed about this, and she's only bin with
>Virgin Media for over a month.
>I told her, you shud have listened to Gonz!
>Anyway...
>I think OPT IN shud be the option, but it means they get less money.
Will this not come into direct conflict with data protection are they
allowed to give out a customers details without asking first ?.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:05:37 -0000, "Gonz" <T o p @ S e c r e t . c o
> m> wrote:
>
>> Virgin Media have agreed to give Phorm access to customers browsing
>> records, letting it track a web user's every move.
>>
>> Customers can opt out of the new system when it is introduced next
>> month. But they will be encouraged to stay.
>>
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/te.../18target.html
>>
>>
>> My Aunty Hildred is really annoyed about this, and she's only bin with
>> Virgin Media for over a month.
>> I told her, you shud have listened to Gonz!
>> Anyway...
>> I think OPT IN shud be the option, but it means they get less money.
> Will this not come into direct conflict with data protection are they
> allowed to give out a customers details without asking first ?.

Probably.

I've been reading a long and irate thread on the private v.feedback
group. It looks very much as though vm's support don't know how it all
works, and have no information to give. Which may be true; or they may
just be keeping their cards close to their corporate chest, and hoping
no-one notices.

AFAICT the 'opt out' requires a cookie to be kept on /every/ opted-out
machine/user combo. Unacceptable, if so, IMO.

More worrying is that a US-based company will get to scan our web
traffic. Which may expose phone numbers, bank account numbers, (even
passwords to non-critical non-encrypted sites - they do exist :-( ).
The "US" bit I would assume means any of our own privacy laws go out of
the window anyway. Oh, and should Uncle Sam not like what you're looking
at, I don't suppose extradition proceedings would take long.........




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

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> On Mon, 18 Feb 2008 18:05:37 -0000, "Gonz" <T o p @ S e c r e t . c o
> m> wrote:
>
>> Virgin Media have agreed to give Phorm access to customers browsing
>> records, letting it track a web user's every move.
>>
>> Customers can opt out of the new system when it is introduced next
>> month. But they will be encouraged to stay.
>>
>> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/te.../18target.html
>>
>>
>> My Aunty Hildred is really annoyed about this, and she's only bin with
>> Virgin Media for over a month.
>> I told her, you shud have listened to Gonz!
>> Anyway...
>> I think OPT IN shud be the option, but it means they get less money.
> Will this not come into direct conflict with data protection are they
> allowed to give out a customers details without asking first ?.

I forgot to add, the so-called "opt-out" apparently just means you don't
get the targeted ads. It appears AIUI that they scan your web traffic
whether or not. Anyone have information to the contrary??



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

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:14:33 GMT, Mike Scott
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:


>I forgot to add, the so-called "opt-out" apparently just means you don't
>get the targeted ads. It appears AIUI that they scan your web traffic
>whether or not. Anyone have information to the contrary??
Before they start giving customers credentials away they want to learn
how to maintain the service 24 hrs 7 days a week that is what we pay
for . Our modem has been totally dead for the last two hours
with only the power light led on and no mention on the status page
about any problems around here perhaps they will get around to fixing
it by Easter time with a bit of luck .
I flatly refuse to talk to India at 25p a minute I am not in the least
bothered I have an ADSL connection with a DECENT ISP but VM
will certainly will not be paid .

On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 23:51:07 UTC, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

> On Tue, 19 Feb 2008 14:14:33 GMT, Mike Scott
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>
> >I forgot to add, the so-called "opt-out" apparently just means you don't
> >get the targeted ads. It appears AIUI that they scan your web traffic
> >whether or not. Anyone have information to the contrary??
> Before they start giving customers credentials away they want to learn
> how to maintain the service 24 hrs 7 days a week that is what we pay
> for . Our modem has been totally dead for the last two hours
> with only the power light led on and no mention on the status page
> about any problems around here perhaps they will get around to fixing
> it by Easter time with a bit of luck .
> I flatly refuse to talk to India at 25p a minute I am not in the least
> bothered I have an ADSL connection with a DECENT ISP but VM
> will certainly will not be paid .

Yes, Ron.
--
[ 7'ism - a condition by which the sufferer experiences an inability
to give concise answers, express reasoned argument or opinion.
Usually accompanied by silly noises and gestures - incurable, early
euthanasia recommended. ]

"Gonz" <T o p @ S e c r e t . c o m> wrote in message
news:iOjuj.24$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Virgin Media have agreed to give Phorm access to customers browsing
> records, letting it track a web user's every move.
>
> Customers can opt out of the new system when it is introduced next
> month. But they will be encouraged to stay.

if you are that upset, write a script to go to random DNS addresses and pull
HTTP traffic - if you are really upset publish the code and let 1000's of
users run it.

>
> http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/18/te.../18target.html
>
>
> My Aunty Hildred is really annoyed about this, and she's only bin with
> Virgin Media for over a month.
> I told her, you shud have listened to Gonz!
> Anyway...
> I think OPT IN shud be the option, but it means they get less money.
>
--
Regards

(E-Mail Removed) - replace xyz with ntl

On Thu, 21 Feb 2008 22:45:59 +0000, stephen wrote:

> if you are that upset, write a script to go to random DNS addresses and
> pull HTTP traffic - if you are really upset publish the code and let
> 1000's of users run it.

Already been done: http://www.jwz.org/webcollage/

--
<http://ale.cx/> (AIM:troffasky) ((E-Mail Removed))
08:39:26 up 13 days, 11:42, 2 users, load average: 1.07, 1.11, 1.05
Convergence, n: The act of using separate DSL circuits for voice and data

stephen wrote:
> "Gonz" <T o p @ S e c r e t . c o m> wrote in message
> news:iOjuj.24$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Virgin Media have agreed to give Phorm access to customers browsing
>> records, letting it track a web user's every move.
>>
>> Customers can opt out of the new system when it is introduced next
>> month. But they will be encouraged to stay.
>
> if you are that upset, write a script to go to random DNS addresses and pull
> HTTP traffic - if you are really upset publish the code and let 1000's of
> users run it.

And just to add to this it seems that BT, Talktalk and possibly AOL have
also 'sold out'.