Telstra Tracks Users To Build Web Filter

Telstra Tracks Users To Build Web Filter

www.scmagazine.com.au

Telstra has confirmed it is tracking websites visited by its mobile users in the lead up to a launch of a new web filtering solution.

Days after suspicions of Telstra's networking monitoring activity was first aroused, the telco has revealed it captures web addresses visited by millions of subscribers on its Next G network.

The addresses are compared to a blacklist of criminal sites curated by web filtering company Netsweeper, and held both in Australia and the US.

Users first noticed the new activity when they directed their Telstra devices to the telco's web servers and noticed it

(visit the link for the full news article)

For those of you unaware, Telstra is Australia's largest Telco operator and was once state owned.

It is something that a lot of us have suspected for quite a while now and it has taken a team of network engineers to expose this shadowy operation.

Until now, it is not something that Telstra has admitted to conducting and upon the exposure of this activity, they are awaiting advice from their legal team!

Is this against our privacy laws? It would seem that that matter is yet to be seen.

So, the ramifications of this are quite large-scale. This gives the U.S government access to a history of web traffic and trends of even us Australians! Sure, it is "anonymised" but under the US Patriot Act, upon request that information can be decrypted.

Do you buy the story that this is in relation to a future web-filtering solution? It seems a good cover stroy and a pre-empted one at that- if that was all there was to it, why the need to seek advice from their internal legal team before issuing further statements?

I hope that Telstra are found in breach of privacy laws and are held accountable for their deceit. I'm a Telstra customer too, maybe a compensation payout is in order?

It makes me wonder, do a number of Western governments have similar arrangements where their citizens web habits are shared and (potentially) analysed?

This makes me mad.

www.scmagazine.com.au
(visit the link for the full news article)

Thanks for the share OP. Just goes to show how messed up this all is getting.

But honestly, what did we expect? Australia is basically the US with kangaroos.
It would surprise me if the same sh!t wasn't going on in Europe as well.
Internet "anonymity" is a myth, unless you have got your own satellite (And even then, all they would need to do is hack into the satellite) you use to access the web, everyone and anyone can be located and spied on.

Also, keep in mind that not a single file in your computer is really "safe", regardless of the way you encrypt it or the "quality" of the encryption.
Same with website/forum/bank accounts and passwords, I don't care if it's 1trillion bit SSL~ Computer technology is so far beyond what most of us can even imagine.
To them, things like this are kiddie play if they seriously want to ruin your day.

You have been warned.


IT--

Not a happy camper I tell ya, I was due to call those pricks tomorrow to complain about the over priced garbage service they are giving me.
Looks like I'll have something else to complain about while I'm there.

I'm going to see if I can find the contract I signed and investigate whether this was mentioned anywhere.

If not, Telstra could/should/will be in more sh*t than Bat Man.

Another ramification outside of U.S governmental access to our privacy- this information is all hosted on servers in a data center. How protected is that data by the hosting company? What security standards/protocol do they implement?

Down with Telstra I say...if only they didn't have a monopoly on decent network coverage!

reply to post by Pirateofpsychonautics


I wouldn't be surprised to find they weren't just tracking people using the Next G network, but virtually everyone using any type of Telstra internet service... I would bet 100 bitcoins on it.

reply to post by Pirateofpsychonautics


This is more than a privavy issue... this is a censorship issue.

What this will do is allow a PRIVATE company control what you see. This needs to be stopped!!!!!

If a profitable compay is allowed to do this it means that they'll be suceptibale to taking bribes on what you can and cannot see....not tha they will, but they can. This opens a whole new door.

Even though it's only a toe in that door its enough for them to pull some leagal bull to build up the censorship progam.

This could ripple globalwide....Callin all ausie's get this stopped...

Bastards!

This made me LoL-

The monitoring appears to relate to an as-yet-unreleased feature dubbed "Smart Controls" that would allow users to access "mobile internet browsing restrictions and call restrictions on Telstra mobile services". According to Telstra documentation (pdf) updated after SC approached the telco for comment, users who opt into the "Smart Control" feature would pay $2.95 per month for the ability to restrict internet access on mobiles associated with their account based on specific URLs and content categories, or allow access to only specific URLs.

$2.95 a month for them to spy! Ya gotta be kidding me!
Where do i sign......

Also, thought this letter by mark Newton was good way to protest-

Link

I was onto them. What a bunch of freaks.
www.abovetopsecret.com...
'Telstra Is Monitoring Social Media To Spy On Us'

Hey Telstra,if you are reading this,you suck. Not only are you a terrible corporation with terrible customer service and an abysmal wireless service but now you are spying on us? Nice.

So to anyone that is being paid to spy on me right now,you dugust me. You are a poor excuse for a human. Get a real job and stop being a traitor. And Telstra,you suck so hard. You are a terrible company.Stop spying on people you freaks

reply to post by Pirateofpsychonautics

I'm going to see if I can find the contract I signed and investigate whether this was mentioned anywhere. If not, Telstra could/should/will be in more sh*t than Bat Man.

Good idea. Austar tried to amend the plan that I had agreed to a few years ago. I called them up and tore em up. They had to go out of their way to make me happy when they discovered that I was not falling for their bs. Most people are far too passive.

i bet there watching this thread atm keywords *TELSTRA* *PRICKS*

I want to know hosecure that hosted data actually is!

From a tech/business perspective for companies that use iPads etc.; if you've accessed client information from a mobile device through 3G unknowns have access to it.

From a personal perspective; ever used net banking on your phone? Your password and personal financial/banking information is vulnerable. This is how passwords and the like are leaked and stolen!

I work in the IT industry. "The cloud" is just a new industry buzzword and has not been thoroughly assessed by many organizations in terms of security and the countless ramifications/security 'holes in the fence'.

What other sensitive data do we access via a 3G data connection? It's a huge list!

So why isn't the Australian populous mass canceling their service? Being docile....how American of you.

My Telstra contract is up in less than a month. I will be having a good chat to Telstra and my telecommunications ombudsmen. I suggest everyone else do the same.

IRM

Click here for more information.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
So why isn't the Australian populous mass canceling their service? Being docile....how American of you.

No ones going to cancel their service over this, I get the impression the Australians are even more docile than the British.

Originally posted by igor_ats

Originally posted by RealSpoke
So why isn't the Australian populous mass canceling their service? Being docile....how American of you.

No ones going to cancel their service over this, I get the impression the Australians are even more docile than the British.

I'm planning on being in the US on holiday next year... come check first-hand how "docile" we are if you want. It's moronic people like you that make the world hate America.

Now for an update;

Telstra Stops Data Snooping

TELSTRA has scrambled to appease its Next G mobile customers after it was caught sending information about their web browsing habits to a US company.

Telstra today used a blog to notify customers that it had stopped the practice after outspoken internet civil libertarian Mark Newton yesterday blew the whistle on the carrier.

Telstra initially defended the practice saying it was being collected for a new internet filtering product being developed by US computer security company NetSweep.

However, following an angry backlash from customers, it has chosen to stop the practice.

Telstra's social media chief Danielle Clarke wrote: "it’s crucial for me to point out that our customers’ trust is the most important thing to us, so upon hearing concerns about the development of our new cyber-safety product we have stopped all collection of website addresses for its development".


Telstra said it had not breached any privacy laws but conceded it could have done more to consult with customers.

"More explanation would have avoided concerns about what we were collecting," a spokeswoman said.

Before stopping the practice, whenever a web browser in a device such as a tablet computer or smart phone used the Telstra NextG network to access a web site the carrier would send the information to a Chicago data centre operated by NetSweeper.

Link; The Australian

I hope they are in breach of privacy laws and ay the price for it. I don't believe for a second that it has stopped or will.

It really annoys me also that they just brush it off in to the category of a "rogue project" as if it is justification for their actions.

Originally posted by RealSpoke
So why isn't the Australian populous mass canceling their service? Being docile....how American of you.

If we were to take the American course of action we would be walking around in circles banging a large gong until it attracted sufficient attention for somebody else to come to our assistance.

reply to post by Pirateofpsychonautics


What did I say that was so offensive? I was dissing Americans if anything. And I only said that because Germanicus was in this thread, I take it you aren't fimiliar with his postings.