Content Lock

I came across a really irritating thing when I was trying to access this site via my mobile today at work. Apparently because the site has an 18 rating, I couldn't view it because T Mobile applied "content lock". I was invited to register to remove content lock - which involved entering my CC details and paying £2!

What a scam on the part of T Mobile just to get money out of people :(

Our site is content locked? I wonder if we have any recourse against that.

Yeah .... certainly by T Mobile it is. It's annoying because I don't have net access on my work PC so I often use my phone just to browse, but I'm not paying £2! It's the principle! We don't stop under 18s from coming here, and there's nothing distasteful about the forum so I can't see why they're doing it, other than to try and get money out of people.

Precisely, that's why I'm inquiring internally here to see if there's something we can do about it. That seems like arbitrary blocking of our site to me, not to mention extorting funds from users on their part.

Can you use a web based proxy in the meantime?
http://www.phpproxy.com/

There are plenty more out there...

Yeah that should help. Thanks phish.

From my phone? To be honest, browsing the net from a mobile isn't fantastic to start with, I'd probably just find it even more irritating having to go through a proxy, but I'll make a note of the URL and give it a try when I next get a chance.

Sounds like the old issue of AO being a "hacker site" still exists after all these years. JP, I would suggest perhaps getting T-mobile to remove AO from that listing (CyberCop or something like that always had us on their "hackers" listings)

Have you read the T-Mobile SLA? If so, is there anything in there that explicitly states that premiums will be added for "site ratings"? Who decides and what criteria is used to assess these fees? This is a disturbing and dangerous precident. They should provide you with a pipe and nothing more. This incident is fuel for my argument about ISPs filtering content. You *know* they're not going to do it for free and you will *always* be the one hit with the expense.

--TH13

I haven't actually read any terms and conditions ... I've been trying to find something on their site, all I know is I signed up for £1 a day maximum internet charging.

I'll email them and ask them to point me towards whatever the terms and conditions there are regarding internet use and invite them to explain why this site is content locked, who decides what criteria is used etc.

Edit OK that's done, I'll let you know what response I get.

Seems weird because I can access this website (and all others) with my friends T-Mobile Sidekick III. However that's in the US..perhaps they have different policies in other parts of the world (didn't know they operated outside the US honestly).

They certainly do! In fact the building I work in has a T Mobile campaign, there are literally hundreds of them.

I'm still waiting to hear back, but I guess it must be entirely different in the US. I'll certainly be interested in their explanation as to why I should be paying an extra £2 to view a site I can access quite easily from my PC and which has no unsuitable content for under 18s.

I would try a proxy if you want to get around it or if you phone is unlocked you can change your wap server on it and probably get around it as well :-)

Proxies are a pain, though.

Can I change the WAP server and still have the same T Mobile price plan? I'm not hugely clued up in mobile internet matters. I find surfing the net on a phone to be ponderous at the best of times and the thought of doing it through a proxy - well, I probably wouldn't bother. It's just something to do at work when there are no calls and I'm bored out of my mind.

If you are able to change your WAP settings in your phone, maybe you can setup your own WAP gateway? Might be not really be worth it depending on how much you plan on using it.

http://www.kannel.org/

It does appear (quick google search) that you can change the settings on your phone. Look around for the instructions on how to do it for your model.

Yeah, as you say, it probably isn't worth it. I can just wait till I get home from work and access this place in a much more enjoyable way. I'll still be interested to hear what T Mobile have to say about it though.

Google is a wonderous thing. Just prove to them you are 18 and they will remove any content-locks off of your phone.

http://www.t-mobilepressoffice.co.uk...ng_service.htm



Note that the 2 pound charge is simply a verification. The 2pounds is immediately refunded.....

"When credit card is produced, a £2 charge is made on the card, then immediately re-credited"

There ya go. Well done. But I still have to find someone to contact there to find out why they've pegged us as a restricted content site. We're nothing of the kind.

JP- There are several content blocking companies that have AO listed as a restricted site. Back in 97 or 98 I could not view the site through my work because our proxy server blocked it. At some point over the years we have switched to a different block list and AO is no longer listed. I'm not sure what list we were using years ago but I have come across more recent content blockers that block AO.

My bet would be they started readin up on Phish and got scared so they restricted the site.... I know I would have ;)

Excellent mohaughn. However it would still be good to be off such a list. At the very least it must be preventing quite a number of people browsing the forum because they'd see "content lock" and "£2" and just browse somewhere else instead.

I have today tried to remove Content Lock and discovered that unless I am prepared to make a time consuming journey to the nearest T-Mobile shop and present them with my passport or driving licence, I can't get this changed.

You need a credit card and I just use a Delta debit card - so I'm stuck. I thought it was worth asking T-Mobile why AO was on such a list, and it was clear the advisor assumed I was wanting to access a gaming, pornography or similarly dubious site :(

Anyway, I got an email address out of them and have written to ask what there is about AO which merits such a rating, giving them the URL to inspect it if they want.

Well, I shall now close my T-Mobile account....................they will doubtless ask why, and I assure you that my answer will be "ain't what the rich call prayers" ;)

As for 18+...................why? if they think that this is a skiddie site, then block it because of that............ spyware/adware/illegal content has nothing to do with age?

Maybe they should be reported to Ofcom, or whoever deals with the mobile franchises?................. after all they are doing it in our country?

I'll see what response if any, I get from their customer relations department. After all, I changed from 02 to T-Mobile to take advantage of the £1 a day cap on internet charges, so it's a bit frustrating not to be able to access the sites I want. What was worst though, was the obvious assumption by the advisor about the content of the site I wanted to remove content lock from! They clearly didn't know what antionline.com was and their attitude was one of politely helping me to pursue my right to view "adult content" (or that's what it felt like).

Adult content?.....................hey Moira, you should see some of the posts we delete from time to time :D............. pure primary school stuff.............

These people get a hold of obsolete blacklists............thing that annoys me is that there are some pretty good ones out there, but it seems that T-Craptile won't pay the money to subscribe?:fpissed:

Anyways I don't think that we have an age limit............if you are under 13 or so, you need parental permission AFAIK. That is probably to comply with some US legislation?

:)

That's like every single forum more or less and they aren't all banned by Content Lock. Anyway, they couldn't go around adding every site unsuitable for 12 year olds! Children that young should be guided and controlled by their parents not T-Mobile! While I agree with protecting children online, it's getting stupid when this is at the expense of what is basically an adult activity (ie posting on forums).

Yes,

How many juveniles are there out there with internet capable cell phones or whatever that they actually pay for out of independently earned funds?

There is a skill called "parenting" is there not?

But maybe I am just an obsolete old fart who doesn't do "shrink wrapped"?

;):D

I call it lazy .... that's what started my own interest in computers actually, when my kids got to the age of showing an active interest and the internet was taking off. My 13 year old attracted the attention of a paedophile called Spottyrock in an AOL chatroom and I was too naive to handle it properly (ie I sent AOL a saved copy of the message content instead of forwarding it with all the headers etc). I decided after that I would make it my business to know what they were up to online, without restricting their freedom to learn how things worked and enjoy themselves.

Just to report, I had an initial email back from T-Mobile, asking that I send them my mobile number, which I hadn't done. I wrote back and today (well yesterday!) got a voicemail message on my mobile from Brian at customer relations, who tells me our content lock has been removed :)

He said he had viewed the site, and had no idea why it had been included in this category because it clearly contained no adult material, and he could understand my frustration at not being able to access a site I'd switched providers specially to take advantage of being able to browse at a cheap rate.

By the time I got his message, it was too late to phone back, but I intend doing so on monday as he asked me to return his call.

So AO is no longer catagorized along with all the pr0n sites and has lost its XXX rating! Better still, I am no longer viewed by T-Mobile as some sleazy pervert :)

I wonder if Brian read this thread ? ....

Hey, Moira, is that the Brian in "The Life of Brian" or the snail in "Magic Roundabout"?

I think we are both to blame?..........we have both posted pictures of felines wearing no clothes whatsoever?

:p:D:eek: