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Virg-- piracy letter
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suse103
Member
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6. November 2008 @ 14:12 |
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What a letter , new tactic in the book and you can expect more of this type of approach . You will note that in the letter they call it an unauthorized box not an illegal box simply because every set top box is the same , every box can be modified and it is not illegal to purchase a set top box or even modify it taking the recent decision in the xbox mod case into account.It would be incumbent on them to set out precisely what they define as an unauthorized box
To put it simply to purchase a box is not against the law , to have any come back or case against a person the cable company must have evidence of the connection , evidence of channels actually watched , evidence to the effect of knowingly obtaining the services without permission, they must seize the box .
There letter also seems to offer every recipient immunity from any future prosecution once it can be shown they acted upon it to their detriment(consideration) and it could be argued that could be as mere as confirming that you have investigated the alleged complaint and you are satisfied there are no unauthorized( your understanding of what this is) boxes attached to the network and you as being an ordinary reasonable person have no understanding of the alleged illegality.
A subject of access request addressed to the company sectary may also be of assistance in clearing up where this information is coming from and whether there has been any infringement of your right to financial data privacy..an appropriate wording is below
Dear Sir or Madam
Thank you for your letter date xx/xx/xxxx
Having regard to the contents of same please send me the information which I am entitled to under the Section 7(1) of the Data Protection Act 1998 .
If you need further information from me, or a fee, please let me know as soon as possible.
If you do not normally handle these requests for your organization, please pass this letter to your Data protection officer or another appropriate official.
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mickarick
Junior Member
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6. November 2008 @ 14:27 |
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Originally posted by suse103:
What a letter , new tactic in the book and you can expect more of this type of approach . You will note that in the letter they call it an unauthorized box not an illegal box simply because every set top box is the same , every box can be modified and it is not illegal to purchase a set top box or even modify it taking the recent decision in the xbox mod case into account.It would be incumbent on them to set out precisely what they define as an unauthorized box
To put it simply to purchase a box is not against the law , to have any come back or case against a person the cable company must have evidence of the connection , evidence of channels actually watched , evidence to the effect of knowingly obtaining the services without permission, they must seize the box .
There letter also seems to offer every recipient immunity from any future prosecution once it can be shown they acted upon it to their detriment(consideration) and it could be argued that could be as mere as confirming that you have investigated the alleged complaint and you are satisfied there are no unauthorized( your understanding of what this is) boxes attached to the network and you as being an ordinary reasonable person have no understanding of the alleged illegality.
A subject of access request addressed to the company sectary may also be of assistance in clearing up where this information is coming from and whether there has been any infringement of your right to financial data privacy..an appropriate wording is below
Dear Sir or Madam
Thank you for your letter date xx/xx/xxxx
Having regard to the contents of same please send me the information which I am entitled to under the Section 7(1) of the Data Protection Act 1998 .
If you need further information from me, or a fee, please let me know as soon as possible.
If you do not normally handle these requests for your organization, please pass this letter to your Data protection officer or another appropriate official.
Brilliant and thank you very much .
The Beatings will continue until moral improves
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pebbles12
Newbie
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7. November 2008 @ 06:51 |
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I was told by a work mate Tuesday that they'd seen an ad Monday night on tv by vm warning of unauthorised boxes. I've been searching other forums and there seems to be a lot of these letters about.
I also found a post on one of them saying they were warned to unplug their box Monday night and leave it off for at least two weeks as vm have invested thousands into a new system that can detect any box receiving none paid channels, even boxes with cards and splitters. Apparently there doing area sweeps.
How true this is i don't know.
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Senior Member
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7. November 2008 @ 07:14 |
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Not true at all methinks!
Whatever you say, say nothing when you talk about you know what for if you know who might hear you, you know what youll get. Youll be sent off to you know where for you would not know how long. Maybe I could search through the threads so you dont have to ??
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mickarick
Junior Member
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7. November 2008 @ 07:49 |
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Originally posted by pebbles12:
I was told by a work mate Tuesday that they'd seen an ad Monday night on tv by vm warning of unauthorised boxes. I've been searching other forums and there seems to be a lot of these letters about.
I also found a post on one of them saying they were warned to unplug their box Monday night and leave it off for at least two weeks as vm have invested thousands into a new system that can detect any box receiving none paid channels, even boxes with cards and splitters. Apparently there doing area sweeps.
How true this is i don't know.
No way the first line of the letter states
"It has been brought to out attention that someone at your address has purchased and may be using an unauthorised set-top box."
The Beatings will continue until moral improves
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pebbles12
Newbie
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7. November 2008 @ 08:12 |
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Like i said i don't know how true this is, it's only what i've read, in the mean time im sitting tight, i didn't get mine of fleabay, so i'll wait and see if i get one of these letters.
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hetixo
Junior Member
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7. November 2008 @ 08:35 |
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Originally posted by suse103:
What a letter , new tactic in the book and you can expect more of this type of approach . You will note that in the letter they call it an unauthorized box not an illegal box simply because every set top box is the same , every box can be modified and it is not illegal to purchase a set top box or even modify it taking the recent decision in the xbox mod case into account.It would be incumbent on them to set out precisely what they define as an unauthorized box
To put it simply to purchase a box is not against the law , to have any come back or case against a person the cable company must have evidence of the connection , evidence of channels actually watched , evidence to the effect of knowingly obtaining the services without permission, they must seize the box .
There letter also seems to offer every recipient immunity from any future prosecution once it can be shown they acted upon it to their detriment(consideration) and it could be argued that could be as mere as confirming that you have investigated the alleged complaint and you are satisfied there are no unauthorized( your understanding of what this is) boxes attached to the network and you as being an ordinary reasonable person have no understanding of the alleged illegality.
A subject of access request addressed to the company sectary may also be of assistance in clearing up where this information is coming from and whether there has been any infringement of your right to financial data privacy..an appropriate wording is below
Dear Sir or Madam
Thank you for your letter date xx/xx/xxxx
Having regard to the contents of same please send me the information which I am entitled to under the Section 7(1) of the Data Protection Act 1998 .
If you need further information from me, or a fee, please let me know as soon as possible.
If you do not normally handle these requests for your organization, please pass this letter to your Data protection officer or another appropriate official.
This is a fantastic post. If you don't mind my asking, are you employed in law? In any case you sound like a good ally.
Aside, and just a thought for everyone here, is posting on this
website a bit dodgy anyhow? Can fraud squads not glean info from web author?
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mickarick
Junior Member
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7. November 2008 @ 08:51 |
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No m8 not if the site admin blocks people from seeing ISPs which i hope they have lol.
The Beatings will continue until moral improves
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hetixo
Junior Member
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7. November 2008 @ 09:03 |
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Originally posted by mickarick:
No m8 not if the site admin blocks people from seeing ISPs which i hope they have lol.
I see. But how do VM target people (sending letters to) who they know illegally download software/music etc? They must know the websites we visit otherwise we wouldn't need to protect our IP addresses with Peer Guardian etc? If they can trace that, then it wouldn't surprise me if they can read these posts and monitor us to some degree surely?
hope i'm wrong....
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Member
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7. November 2008 @ 14:29 |
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hi guys just gonna thruogh this into the mix,
ive read all the threads and can only see peaple getting letters who have at some point bought from fleabay.....
has anyone bought abox not from there and still got the letter?
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sid999
Member
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7. November 2008 @ 15:15 |
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i have bought about 7 or 8 boxes off fleabay ...updated them and passed them on to mates at no extra cost....my box is 3 years old i pay basic package and have never lowered it...i have had no letter so i do not think it is fleabay....this is getting very interesting.
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Member
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7. November 2008 @ 15:31 |
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what about your mates sid? have they got a letter?
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apd06
Member
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8. November 2008 @ 00:45 |
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Originally posted by tonkatoy:
Hi,
A 'friend' got an interesting letter from Virgin media today regarding illegal set-top box.
It begins:
"It has been brought to out attention that someone at your address has purchased and may be using an unauthorised set-top box."
It then lists the terms and conditions, and includes a faq on how naughty it is.
It stops short at saying that the FBI are going to kick your door in, and indeed does say they "are not going to take any legal action at this stage", but make it very clear the box should be disconnected and disposed "in an environmentally friendly way"
One faq question/answer:
Where did Virgin Media get my details?
We have been working with the police to legally gather details of the people who are selling unauthorised set-top boxes and also the details of the people who have brought the boxes for use on our network.
Anyone else heard of these letters?
Is this one of Richard Branstons crack anti piracy squad members coming on here with fake letters to worry everyone?
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sid999
Member
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8. November 2008 @ 04:08 |
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i suppose we all know a lot of people with boxes.....i work in a very big car factory in birmingham and i have a lot of mates with boxes and also know a few people who sell a lot of boxes and i have not heard of one of them recieving a letter.....so like i said its interesting...
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mickarick
Junior Member
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8. November 2008 @ 05:26 |
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Originally posted by sid999:
i have bought about 7 or 8 boxes off fleabay ...updated them and passed them on to mates at no extra cost....my box is 3 years old i pay basic package and have never lowered it...i have had no letter so i do not think it is fleabay....this is getting very interesting.
So where have all the sellers gone from Ebay ?
The Beatings will continue until moral improves
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sid999
Member
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8. November 2008 @ 06:36 |
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mickarick maybe they have been squeezed a little to stop letting people sell things that could be used illegaly ...but there are still sellers on there...only a few....i think i would have had a letter by now if it was flea bay...but you never know
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mickarick
Junior Member
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8. November 2008 @ 06:52 |
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Originally posted by sid999:
mickarick maybe they have been squeezed a little to stop letting people sell things that could be used illegaly ...but there are still sellers on there...only a few....i think i would have had a letter by now if it was flea bay...but you never know
I know what your saying m8 but as stated on here its not illegal to buy a set-top box so how V/M can put that in their letter is beyond me its none of their buisness what people buy from flea bay or anywhere else for that matter .
The Beatings will continue until moral improves
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Junior Member
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8. November 2008 @ 12:32 |
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I think the concensus of the debate here is that VM have received details fro fleabay? I am not sure of the legality of that as I am under the impression that our details on Fleabay are confidential? I am still thinking tat the way be are being targeted is through a sweep of ther email gateways for any emails containg st**view, Kry***view etc, then tracing the owner of the email address, this they can do legally. It appears there are people out there who have bought of Fleabay but have not been targeted so I dont think they are the wholey to blame.
How can VM check what you are watching, the cable to the house is the same for TV and BB and I dont think they can diffrentiate the signal?
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taxi111
Newbie
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8. November 2008 @ 14:14 |
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me thinks one or two traders have been targeted by richie and the fraud squad and the details were taken from their paperwork/computer records.
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Pooflake
Newbie
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9. November 2008 @ 12:32 |
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Hi, I am a noobie but have received one of these letters and have been investigating it for the last couple of days.
I apologise if this is going over old ground for some but I have decided to put together what FACTS I know about this situation.
The letters sent are definitely NOT solely down to information received from buying boxes from fleabay. I have a few friends that bought identical boxes as me from fleabay and they have not received a letter. I have been using my St*rview for 2 years now and bought it from Fleabay. However, some people who have bought direct from supplier have also received letters
The letters sent are definitely NOT down to 'whistleblowing'. All the letters were received on the 5th and were country wide, it is NOT a coincidence.
St*rview can definitely NOT be detected as it's feedback function is deactivated.
It is definitely NOT Illegal to buy / sell such boxes untampered. It is only illegal to alter firmware etc with the intent to receive decoded channels.
It is definitely NOTHING to do with with downgrading of your VM package. Some people have changed, some not. I actually UPGRADED my TV package to XL recently yet I still received a letter
I tend to agree with the suggestions that one or two suppliers have been raided and have had their customer databases subsequently confiscated and investigated. These letters are nothing more than a blind shot in the dark - attempting scaremongering tactics without any concrete evidence. This is backed up by the fact that some people have received letters despite not using an 'unauthorised' STB for years.
If VM could detect the signal split and 'unauthorised usage' they would have done a lot more than send speculative letters. I also believe that VM are trying to show a concerted effort in accordance with the new S*Y deal.
Unfortunately for them, VM are too tight to spend the money on better encryption and detection. It costs too much to fully investigate reports too, so they don't bother. If someone can inform me of a case where someone's home has been raided SOLELY for post-detection st*rview usage I would be interested to hear it.
My advice would be to do nothing - the post above regarding data protection makes a great point but I choose to not validate VM's vain efforts by either confirming or denying the hearsay in their letter.
They can't prove anything. That's why they use terminology such as 'may' have purchased a box.
Happy viewing everybody.
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tigercity
Suspended permanently
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9. November 2008 @ 13:51 |
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hi all after reading the threads about letters and so on . i have not recived a letter about my box which i have had for three years but did update the over night to see if there was any pay perview films that i could catch at the right time .but looking at the listings this notice has come up .!!!! please be aware the set top box you are using is unauthorised and you are committing a crminal offence by using it to receive programs from virgin media and if i have any questions about your illegal connection to virgin media net work and receipt of its services/then please call virgin media's hot line .so with all that do you think its just a random thing they are doing or do they really know about me doggy box ???
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AfterDawn Addict
2 product reviews
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9. November 2008 @ 14:17 |
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Has been mentioned a few times ;), ignore it as it nothing to worry about.
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tigercity
Suspended permanently
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9. November 2008 @ 15:01 |
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thanks hitec .just another thing or two lol with eurovox boxex not been sold on flebay were would i be able to buy 1 for future ref as i have the 2006 model and have had this for some time and touchwood no probs as yet and is there any news on a HD eurovox box coming soon !!! i carnt see why you carnt buy a eurovox box from e-bay if it dont have the firmware installed ???
This message has been edited since posting. Last time this message was edited on 9. November 2008 @ 15:05
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tigercity
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9. November 2008 @ 15:08 |
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Originally posted by sc0user:
Afternoon, did anyone not wonder why fleabay has stopped allowing the sale of them and don't fleabay have all the buyer/seller info?
am i getting this wrong but just been on flebay and eurovox boxes are still for sale ???
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malci
Suspended due to non-functional email address
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9. November 2008 @ 16:01 |
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Originally posted by tigercity:
Originally posted by sc0user:
Afternoon, did anyone not wonder why fleabay has stopped allowing the sale of them and don't fleabay have all the buyer/seller info?
am i getting this wrong but just been on flebay and eurovox boxes are still for sale ???
Correct, if you put a search in you will find them for sale, as said it is not illegal to sell or own/purchase a FTA receiver, and they have no right to request anyone to dispose of one either, it is of course unlawful to modify the said receiver to connect to your suppliers cable and obtain subscription channels with out paying. But hey this forum is for an exchange of information soley for Educational and Experimental purposes, so lets keep the information flowing back and forth, and let the greedy CCs get their own house in order in any way they see fit, I can suggest one way, lower the damn charges they levy and make it affordable to the masses, and people lets not get paranoid about any forthcoming advertising blitz on TV.
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