Thread: Say Goodbye To The Internet As We Know It

Say goodbye to the internet as we know it.

This technology allows your ISP to insert their own content into each and every web page you visit!
Would you allow the post office to insert ads into your Christmas cards?
Would you allow the telephone company to play ads to the people calling your home before they are connected to you?

This is BIG for ISPs. Most of them will want a piece of this because it's lucrative.
Only the companies with morals (oxymoron, I know) and respect for their customers (above potential profits) will be staying away from this.

Don't wait until your ISP decides to "begin testing" this technology.
Call them today. Write them today.
Tell them you want your internet content unmonitored and unaltered.

I sure hope the bigger ISPs decide to do the right thing and stay away from this...or at least if they use it for 'account updates' to make sure they have to option to not receive them in this manner...

this would piss me off to no end...it's just ludicrous...

In Canada, they don't get any bigger than Rogers.

Thats crazy, I would be amazed though if companies stay away from a way to make more money just to keep their customers happy... rare I think anymore that they care about us

Originally Posted by Zap

In Canada, they don't get any bigger than Rogers.

though they did say they had an opt out link...hopefully they really make it work the correct way

They try to pass it off as a means to communicate with customers, fine. There are better ways.

But as soon as they try to run ads on someone else's web site, like Google, we will see massive lawsuits faster than you can say OMGWTFBBQCheezburgerz!!!111!!!!!!!! That'll put a quick end to the practice.

Originally Posted by Stax

though they did say they had an opt out link...hopefully they really make it work the correct way

Opt Out.

Yeah. That's definitely their style. The folks in the US wouldn't necessarily know this, but this is the same company that (years ago) added a bunch of TV channels to their lineup and autosubscribed their customers to them (at an added price). Customers were forced to call them and "opt out" of the added cost until the government stepped in and slapped their wrist.

Originally Posted by axemedia

They try to pass it off as a means to communicate with customers, fine. There are better ways.

But as soon as they try to run ads on someone else's web site, like Google, we will see massive lawsuits faster than you can say OMGWTFBBQCheezburgerz!!!111!!!!!!!! That'll put a quick end to the practice.

those will be interesting lawsuits...google would claim they are making money from their trademark...but the ISP will say it is their network and they can do what they want with it...

Originally Posted by axemedia

But as soon as they try to run ads on someone else's web site, like Google, we will see massive lawsuits faster than you can say OMGWTFBBQCheezburgerz!!!111!!!!!!!! That'll put a quick end to the practice.

Not necessarily. We'll see the lawsuits, I have no doubt.
But I think an ISP can reasonably argue that they have the right to deliver content to their customers as they see fit. It's not a slam dunk for Google and the like, not by a long shot. These customers are customers of the ISP, not Google.

If I find out that any other ISP is doing that I would drop them in a heartbeat. That borders on illegal wiretapping

Originally Posted by Stax

those will be interesting lawsuits...google would claim they are making money from their trademark...but the ISP will say it is their network and they can do what they want with it...

Yes they do own it but if Google were to say fine, fu@k you very much, we'll block our site from your network, no need for you to block us. Then see how many Rogers users say "What? I cant use Google with Rogers? I'm stuck with MSN? pleh! or Yahoo? meh! Bye, bye Rogers. Hello Telus, Bell, Shaw, whoever."

Here is an instance where the shear enormity of Google, the very same thing that makes us all nervous, can benefit the entire internet. If Google starts making serious moves to protect net neutrality there is a good chance they will be able to protect it. Their business depends on it.

Originally Posted by axemedia

Yes they do own it but if Google were to say fine, fu@k you very much, we'll block our site from your network, no need for you to block us. Then see how many Rogers users say "What? I cant use Google with Rogers? I'm stuck with MSN? pleh! or Yahoo? meh! Bye, bye Rogers. Hello Telus, Bell, whoever."

One would like to believe that most people have that kind of attitude, but the reality is that most customers of Rogers still have their "Rogers" branded Yahoo as their default start page and most Bell customers still have their "Bell" branded MSN as their default start page because they just don't give a shit.
Rogers will measure the potential huge profits from advertisers against the few who will leave. Guess what they'll choose?
And... where are we going to "leave to" if Bell takes up the practice? After all, they're in it for profit too.

We could even try the little guys, but guess who they're getting their access from???

This is why we need our government to enforce Network Neutrality Network neutrality - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Originally Posted by Zap

One would like to believe that most people have that kind of attitude, but the reality is that most customers of Rogers still have their "Rogers" branded Yahoo as their default start page and most Bell customers still have their "Bell" branded MSN as their default start page because they just don't give a shit.
Rogers will measure the potential huge profits from advertisers against the few who will leave. Guess what they'll choose?
And... where are we going to "leave to" if Bell takes up the practice? After all, they're in it for profit too.

We could even try the little guys, but guess who they're getting their access from???

I actually doubt that most users stick to their default home pages with Yahoo or MSN built in. If so, Google would not have anywhere near the search market share they do. The growing share i might add, while Yahoo and MSN shrink month after month.

Microsoft PC's are like 90% of the personal computer market. The majority of those machines start out with some version of MSN as the default home page for Internet Exploder. Yet MSN only has about 10% or less of the search market. Thats a pretty strong testimonial to how many internet users make the switch.

But if all the major ISP's take up the practice , then we're all hooped!

Originally Posted by axemedia

I actually doubt that most users stick to their default home pages with Yahoo or MSN built in. If so, Google would not have anywhere near the search market share they do.

I see it with my own eyes. As part of my business, I service computers in people's homes. I see it over and over and over again.
I'm not saying people don't use Google. Of course not. But you'd be surprised just how many people never change their default home page.

Zap added 17 Minutes and 58 Seconds later...

Originally Posted by axemedia

But if all the major ISP's take up the practice , then we're all hooped!

That's the real danger here. With the huge potential profits to be made, it's hard to imagine an ISP taking a pass on this.

Originally Posted by Zap

I see it with my own eyes. As part of my business, I service computers in people's homes. I see it over and over and over again.
I'm not saying people don't use Google. Of course not. But you'd be surprised just how many people never change their default home page.

Maybe, but I'm going to make a bold assumption that the majority of your in-home computer service customers are very inept when it comes to computers. So your seeing a skewed view of just a subset of the whole home computer market.

I know my parents are one of those. Same default home page, always asking me for help on how to do this or do that, and often having to have computer techs do something to their machine once a year. brutal. I'm so glad I don't live here all the time (currently visiting the 'rents for holidays) and have to try and "fix" their computer.

I hear the government is going to outlaw keyboards and remotes controls for tv too. You won't be able to choose the channel you want to watch on TV or surf away from "messages" deemed important to you. Same with internet ads, popups become legal and required.

You will be assimilated.

Originally Posted by noppid

You will be assimilated.

Resistance is futile! :twisted:

Originally Posted by axemedia

Maybe, but I'm going to make a bold assumption that the majority of your in-home computer service customers are very inept when it comes to computers. So your seeing a skewed view of just a subset of the whole home computer market.

The view is not as skewed as you might think. It runs the spectrum.
I could be doing anything from showing someone how to burn a CD to setting up an FTP server to configuring wireless settings. You might also be surprised at how many people run a business from a home office. I try not to do the "home stuff" anymore.

As for my corporate clients, I usually set Google.ca as the default home page when I install a new workstation. Most leave it that way. Is it because they are too lazy to change it, or because they would have chosen Google themselves? You be the judge.

I'm kinda joking, but kinda serious. New World Order is upon us and we are nothing more than consumers to target. Global economy, corporate control of government, and an oil industry that resists all change in an effort to squeeze our last dollar out of our pocket and the last drop of oil out of the ground.

But can you blame them? People are sheep and so easily manipulated by TV and computer news. It's scary. But we continue to embrace the media despite them herding us.

We are an instant gratification self serving society. We are complacent. We are being over run by illegal immigration diluting our job market. Our laziness created it too. When less than 20% of the people in our great democracies vote, well, that proves my statements.

While we sit and watch while saying I got mine, our means that provided that opportunity is being stolen from us while we enjoy our toys.

Think about it and choose wisely.

Originally Posted by Zap

Is it because they are too lazy to change it, or because they would have chosen Google themselves? You be the judge.

My money is on LAZY!

I know several people that will say google it and then pull up the yahoo page. The word has become synonymous with searching the internet.

I'll go with lazy too. However, I know plenty of people who do research and don't care for google anymore. They say it tries to sell stuff, not provide information. I find that interesting.

I personally use all four when I really want to know something.

Originally Posted by noppid

They say it tries to sell stuff, not provide information. I find that interesting.

Umm, that might be us webmasters manipulating the system to get our sites up there and sell stuff to that traffic or the spammers selling Viagra.

Tell your friends to stop researching porn and pills, LOL

add to that list;
mortgages
insurance
poker
homes
cars
investments
clothing
furniture
music
ummmm, just about everything I guess. Someones trying to peddle it online.

Just an observation. I still do well on google for coding research. The index lists code snippets and stuff pretty well. Easy to find examples when ya get stuck.

When I shop, I pretty much go to the sites I know have a brick and mortar nearby. I do the research and make the purchase online even sometimes, but I like to pick up at the store. I'm old school. I hate dealing with the phone company and such where you can only deal on the phone and can't touch what you may buy.

I read about this the other day and as you may of guessed I don't agree with it but we have very little control over what these mega-corporations do to us. Especially webmasters who need a high speed connection but only have the choice of cable or phone. If both companies that service your area (think Verizon & Comcast) implement this technology, you cannot run away from it.

Just think when the ISPs build their own targeted advertising technologies (ala Adsense) and insert ads in every page now they aren't just bothering the end user but cutting into the webmaster's revenue stream.

You though that clown blocking Firefox was bad.. What about when you have to block entire subnets because ads are being inserted into your site which aren't yours?. :eek:

this article was an excellent read. Thanks

There was a post on mattcutts blog the other day(or maybe it was the other year) that said that there was an ISP that had changed up Googles home page....I agree with you Zap, I think it's criminal to say the least. But I think that there are legal ramifications for ISP's that try to get away with this. And they could have gotten away with it, if it weren't for you medaling kids...

Originally Posted by Zap

As for my corporate clients, I usually set Google.ca as the default home page ...

Why not set it to ebay with an affiliate link. You know they're going to surf it, why don't you get paid for it too? :twisted:

My first reaction was 'it's never gonna happen'... then I thought about it. It's gonna happen. All we can do is vote with our feet (as it were) and stay away from ISPs that do this.

Originally Posted by marsguitars

My first reaction was 'it's never gonna happen'... then I thought about it. It's gonna happen. All we can do is vote with our feet (as it were) and stay away from ISPs that do this.

i have a feeling staying away will be hard...once one starts...all of them are going to follow suit...

Couldn't site owners make a legal fight over this?

I mean it seems the ISP would be making money over content they have no ownership of.

interesting

Originally Posted by Zap

...
Would you allow the post office to insert ads into your Christmas cards?
...

strange you should mention this... post offices in some parts of india used to sell the blank space on the back of your envelope to local advertisers. and for christmas-time, advertisers queue up for their ads to be stamped on. i think it did pretty well... this started way before the internet caught on. i don't know if they still do it.

Are you kidding me? That is absurd! :2005: (on my goodness that is a ton of smilies here!)