Australian Telco Causes Minor Panic While Preparing Web Filter

Twisted64 writes "Australia's largest telco, Telstra, has been frightening users of its mobile data services for the last week. Logging revealed that HTTP requests from a mobile device on Telstra's network were duplicated with a request from another server, located in Chicago. Eyebrows were raised on the Whirlpool forums, with fears that Telstra was giving up Australian browsing data to a U.S. company and therefore the U.S. government. Following a well-worded letter, Telstra revealed today that the reason for this behavior is that the company is preparing an opt-in web filter. Personally, while the idea of my browsing data being logged anywhere does not fill me with joy, the idea of the U.S. government having access to it (randomized or not) is probably going to be enough to make me switch to an inferior carrier once my current plan ends."

Comments

Re:As a Telstra and Telstra Mobile user...

[AHuxley]

"But Mr Dent, the opt-in option has been available via a link from your settings page for the last nine months."
"Oh yes, well as soon as I found out I logged in to see it, yesterday afternoon. You hadn't exactly gone out of your way to call attention to it, had you? I mean, like actually telling anybody or anything."
"But the opt-in option was on display ..."
"On display? I eventually had to go download java to display it."
"That's the website department."
"With .net and ActiveX"
"Ah, well your OS had probably missed an update."
"So had the site."
"But look, you found the option didn't you?"
"Yes," said Arthur, "yes I did. It was on site in the bottom of an encrypted page stuck in a disused directory with a banner on the page saying 'Beware of the .....

Now remember kids

[MichaelSmith]

This is another good reason not to google self incrimination while planning a murder.