Even the best Anti-Spyware software won't help you

[Bongo]

When your ISP sells you down the river...

Summary:
BT, Virgin Media, and Carphone Warehouse have agreed to sell customer Internet usage data to a company called "Phorm". Phorm is run by a person who has previously run a company that was labled as spyware by Symantec and F-Secure.
BT did some trials with the company in summer 07 and when someone noticed odd connections being made by their machine (and spent a weekend trying to fix it!) they were told by BT support that it was "a DNS hijacker, similar to a malware".

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/25/phorm_isp_advertising/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/27/bt_phorm_121media_summer_2007/
http://www.badphorm.co.uk

Next step - figuring out the best way to stop them collecting data...

[boldie]

and probably all a BT,Virgin or carphone warehouse customer will recieve is an email stating that "there has been a change in the privacy policy, please click the button to say what it is"..Bet ya they won't explain that they will now be selling your usage details, eh?

If I had an account with any of the above providers I'd be cancelling it immediatly.

[Bongo]

If I had an account with any of the above providers I'd be cancelling it immediatly.

I think you need to wait and see, others are likely to follow suit. It's also unclear whether other ISPs owned by BT (e.g. Plusnet) will be implementing it too.

You can opt-out, but they still collect data they just say they won't use it.

[boldie]

If I had an account with any of the above providers I'd be cancelling it immediatly.

I think you need to wait and see, others are likely to follow suit. It's also unclear whether other ISPs owned by BT (e.g. Plusnet) will be implementing it too.

You can opt-out, but they still collect data they just say they won't use it.

Yes and there will be one who won't be and that is the one I'll be using. I expect there will be one ISP to come out and advertise saying "we don't tell others what you do so they can sell you stuff" (or something catchier)

[Bongo]

I agree there, it looks like there will be other changes in the broadband market now - apparently the bbc iplayer has killed the business model stone dead. 

[boldie]

I agree there, it looks like there will be other changes in the broadband market now - apparently the bbc iplayer has killed the business model stone dead. 

lol