O2 mobile numbers and web browsing
Security is of the utmost importance to us and we take the protection of our customers’ data extremely seriously.
We have seen the report published this morning suggesting the potential for disclosure of customers’ mobile phone numbers to website owners.
We investigated, identified and fixed it this afternoon. We would like to apologise for the concern we have caused.
Below is a set of Q&As, to answer questions we’ve been receiving. If you have further questions, do leave them in the blog comments and we will do our best to answer as many as possible.
Q: What’s happened with O2 mobile numbers when I browse the internet on my mobile?
A: Every time you browse a website (via mobile or desktop), certain technical information about the machine you are using, is passed to website owners. This happens across the internet, and enables website owners to optimise the site you see. When you browse from an O2 mobile, we add the user’s mobile number to this technical information, but only with certain trusted partners. This is standard industry practice. We share mobile numbers with selected trusted partners for 3 reasons: 1) to manage age verification, which manages access to adult content, 2) to enable third party content partners to bill for premium content such as downloads or ring tones that the customer has purchased 3) to identify customers using O2 services, such as My O2 and Priority Moments. This only happens over 3G and WAP data services, not WiFi.
Q: How long has this been happening?
A: In between the 10th of January and 1400 Wednesday 25th of January, in addition to the usual trusted partners, there has been the potential for disclosure of customers’ mobile phone numbers to further website owners.
Q: Has it been fixed?
A: Yes. It was fixed as of 1400 on Wednesday 25th January 2012.
Q: Which of my information can website owners access?
A: The only information websites had access to is your mobile number, which could not have been linked to any other identifying information we have about customers.
Q: Why did this happen?
A: Technical changes we implemented as part of routine maintenance had the unintended effect of making it possible in certain circumstances for website owners to see the mobile numbers of those browsing their site.
Q: Which customers were affected?
A: It affected customers accessing the internet via their mobile phone on 3G or WAP services, but not WIFI, between 10th of January and 1400 on Wednesday the 25th of January.
Q: Which websites do you normally share my mobile number with?
A: Only where absolutely required by trusted partners who work with us on age verification, premium content billing, such as for downloads, and O2′s own services, have access to these mobile numbers.
Q: The Information Commissioner said he is investigating – what are you doing as part of this?
A: We are in contact with the Information Commissioner’s office, and we will be co-operating fully. We have also contacted OFCOM.
on Jan 26th 2012 10:00AM
The State of California has agreed to reimburse the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) $950,000 in legal fees for fighting Brown v. EMA up to the Supreme Court. The state must have brought in its top negotiators to get the original request for $1.1 million reduced. Including reimbursements for the 2008 case, which the state already paid, California has dished out more than $1,327,000 to ESA.
posted Jan 25th 2012 9:56AM 
There are obvious stats, bizarre ones, and then the good old informative ones. New data from Google revealed by Ad Age, falls into the latter category. According to Goog’s numbers, more people have a mobile internet-capable device than a PC or laptop in the five key markets it tested (US, UK, Germany, France and Japan). In the US, this figure is nearly 10% more, some 76% against 68%. The numbers were taken in September and October last year, which means any impact Christmas may have had won’t be taken into account. The trend away from feature phones towards smartphones is also drilled home, but that won’t be news to many people ’round these parts. No matter how you connect these days, any savvy netizen will tell you: it’s quality, not quantity that counts anyway. 
We rubbed our eyes a little when they first landed on this fine looking specimen, just to make sure they weren’t deceiving us. But no, this really does appear to be a new handheld Neo Geo. We’ve seen SNK make inspired controllers, bring its catalog to other platforms and even make handhelds before, but nothing like this. The iPhone-esque body and 4.3 inch screen house a D-pad, shoulder and front buttons while hiding 2GB of storage inside — pre-loaded with 20 classic titles (yes Fatal Fury and League Bowling included, and all in English). There’s also an SD slot which we really really hope is for more games, as well as an AV output for some good old big-screen action. Famicon Plaza claims it’s a licensed product not yet in full production, so there’s no whiff of availability just now. When it does finally land, we hope it’s not at a 2012 equivalent of grandad’s $600+ price tag.
posted Jan 26th 2012 11:20AM 
If you ever thought remembering HTC’s titanic product line was like trying to recall the Greek alphabet, then it seems you’re not alone. Phil Roberson, head of the firm’s UK operations apparently thinks the display cabinet is getting a little crowded, too, telling Mobile Magazine “We have to get back to focusing on what made us great – amazing hardware.” No surprises that there’s been a tightening of focus after filing disappointing results just earlier this month. There’s already been the odd whisper of new directions for HTC, and this year’s phone roll-out is already under way, but with Roberson suggesting tablets aren’t high on its list of priorities this year, we’re banking on further details of 2012′s product plans at next month’s MWC. 
If your life is anything like ours, it’s in sore need of more pseudo-holographic helicopters. Fortunately, YouTube user programming4fun has come up with a solution, using Microsoft’s Kinect beta SDK and a Windows Phone handset. The system, pictured above, basically consists of a Kinect and a 3D engine; the former tracks the position of a viewer and automatically adjusts the image projected by the latter, creating the illusion of a 3D landscape. In this case, that landscape happened to feature a holographic helicopter, which could be controlled using a phone’s accelerometer and a Windows Phone 7 app (apparently called HoloController). Watch it in action, after the break. 
Who knows why tech tinkerers do what they do. We’re just happy to see those idle hands try the untested. Like this latest Arduino hack from modder Michael of Nootropic Design, who’s seen fit to rig a 16 x 32 LED matrix up to an Android phone for use as a secondary display. The outputted video, downscaled via OpenCV software to an appropriate resolution and 12-bit color, is admittedly unimpressive, as it chugs along at a paltry four frames per second. But that’s not the point of this can-do experiment — it’s all about the possibilities, however blurry and pointless they may be (although, we’re sure Barbara Walters would beg to differ). Ready to see this modjob in motion? Then head on past the break for a brief video demo. 
