Can't play via O2 mobile internet due to site blacklisting

[min_the_fair]

Just what it says. O2 Mobile Broadband (in the UK in this case, if it matters) have set up some ridiculous Think Of Teh Childrenz rule involving a company called Bango (which, really, wtf?) whereby if you attempt to access a site they haven't deemed suitable, you are inexplicably redirected to bango.net (again, wtf?), who then demand your credit (not debit, oh no) card details and some money, in order to 'confirm that you are over 18'. This despite the O2 user having a contract. It looks like a really bad and dodgy scam, but is in fact official O2 policy (I don't know if it was a policy set up by a mole working for Three or what, but it is clearly an utterly ridiculous policy. And somewhat scammy, too).

Is it possible for the owner of havenandhearth.com to complain to O2 / bango.net about this blacklisting? So long as no-one links anything to jorb's deviantart account (which does of course require its own password and therefore shouldn't count against you anyway), havenandhearth.com doesn't seem to have any of the kind of things they deem offensive.

I'm asking because an active member of my village will be spending the next month with very limited access to shops (to go and buy a damn Three dongle, or go to the O2 shop and complain himself) or normal internet, and was intending to continue playing via his mobile broadband. I really don't want to lose out on all that authority (and flax farming).

[DatOneGuy]

It honestly probably has to do with the fact that these forums have no policy regarding age at all, you will notice that most forums you sign up for have some long shit you have to read with" Blah blah must be 13 years of older or have parental consent", they don't hold you to that bullshit, they can't, not without making your parents sign some form, have it confirmed by their people and then allow you access, but this does act as a scapegoat because the minor had to access the site and lie to do so.

You'll notice tons of porn sites do this, almost any forum (because you cannot control content of others), even gaming services with voice chat.

[borka]

- snip - you are inexplicably redirected to bango.net (again, wtf?), who then demand your credit (not debit, oh no) card details and some money, in order to 'confirm that you are over 18'. -snip -

They bill your card with 1 pound for age verification - and only the first time you'll do O2 will put back +2,50 pound to your account...

But you're right outsourcing age verification services to another company s***s...as it's one more company that stores your data.

Happily they don't do so here in germany...

[sabinati]

It honestly probably has to do with the fact that these forums have no policy regarding age at all, you will notice that most forums you sign up for have some long shit you have to read with" Blah blah must be 13 years of older or have parental consent", they don't hold you to that bullshit, they can't, not without making your parents sign some form, have it confirmed by their people and then allow you access, but this does act as a scapegoat because the minor had to access the site and lie to do so.

you're thinking of COPPA which is a US law

[DatOneGuy]

It honestly probably has to do with the fact that these forums have no policy regarding age at all, you will notice that most forums you sign up for have some long shit you have to read with" Blah blah must be 13 years of older or have parental consent", they don't hold you to that bullshit, they can't, not without making your parents sign some form, have it confirmed by their people and then allow you access, but this does act as a scapegoat because the minor had to access the site and lie to do so.

you're thinking of COPPA which is a US law

Interesting, didn't know, thanks.

[min_the_fair]

It honestly probably has to do with the fact that these forums have no policy regarding age at all,

Nope, don't think so anyway. I had the same connection, and ran into some REALLY random issues with it - it first came up blocking a link to some (non-explicit) fanfiction, or an academic essay about fanfiction, but still let me access other sites with more explicit text in, including places with their own 'please confirm that you're over 18' feature. It wouldn't let me go to a site that sold naughty underwear but would (because by this time I was trying to get round it) have let me buy all sorts of serious bondage gear from another place.

They bill your card with 1 pound for age verification - and only the first time you'll do O2 will put back +2,50 pound to your account...

The catch here is that my village member doesn't have a credit card, as a debit card is good enough for every single other online transaction he makes, including paying his O2 bills. Grr.

[brohammed]

Time to change providers when the contract ends, I think.

[loftar]

Is it possible for the owner of havenandhearth.com to complain to O2 / bango.net about this blacklisting?

Sorry, but no way. I will not lower myself to take the whitelisting scumbag routing mafia seriously. The fewer sites they allow, the more they suck, and the better for all the rest of us. Rather, I think you should take the opportunity of sending a strongly worded letter to O2 and/or cancel your subscription.

[MagicManICT]

cancel your subscription.

Nothing speaks louder than an economic slap.

[loftar]

Nothing speaks louder than an economic slap.

Certainly, but I think it also helps if you let them know why you cancelled it.