Well, maybe Phorm, maybe not, but someone is spying on my online activities.
Currently, no UK ISPs are supposed to be running Phorm, except for BT, who are involved in a test-run. I’m not convinced, because someone is sure as hell spying on what I’m doing online
My ISP is Tiscali, and for the last few days – maybe longer, I don’t pay that much attention to Spam, except to consign it to oblivion – I’ve been inundated with Spam which is clearly based on my browsing activities, especially online shopping, of which I do a lot, as I’m substantially housebound. I find it very hard to believe that this is a coincidence.
It’s possible, I suppose, that Tiscali is monitoring its customers’ habits, and peddling the results. Trouble is, I’ve no way of finding out. Tiscali don’t reply to emails, or letters – the only way they will communicate with their customers is via their premium-rate phone line, and the risk of getting a complete gobshite on the other end is huge (see this post). Anyway, in a situation like this I’d want something in writing.
There are a couple of apps that purport to confuse Phorm – and presumably other spying media – all of varying levels of clunkiness, and requiring Microsoft NET Framework to be installed, which just isn’t going to happen. I went to considerable lengths to uninstall the bloody thing, having installed it for another app – which turned out to be crap – that needed it. No way I’m installing it again. All NET Framework did, as far as I could see, was slow down my computer prodigiously.
You can’t uninstall it, either – the only way to get rid of it is to use System Restore, and go back to a point before you installed it.
Anyway, the bottom line is that someone is spying on what I’m doing online, and generating advertising based on it, and I’d love to know who. Realistically, of course, there can be only one culprit – Tiscali – and if they’re doing it to me, they’re doing it to all their customers.
Anyone else noticed this problem?
Ron's Rants... 