This topic

I can not log into My Bt

FlippettyFlop — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 16:59:24 GMT

When I try to login I get this error message:

This page isn’t working

my.bt.com didn’t send any data.

ERR_EMPTY_RESPONSE

Can't view my bill or pay it, any advice?

(My cache is cleared, connection is fine, all other sites work fine.)

Re: I can not log into My Bt

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 17:59:30 GMT

@FlippettyFlop

Use https://home.bt.com/login/loginform

Re: I can not log into My Bt

FlippettyFlop — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:00:42 GMT

Same difference. The landing page after logging in will the same whatever route I take to the secure area. I used your link anyway, same error. thanks

Re: I can not log into My Bt

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:14:58 GMT

@FlippettyFlop

As you are using google_chrome_108, delete all bt.com cookies, you can do that without affecting other cookies.

chrome://settings/content/all

Paste that into the address bar.

Re: I can not log into My Bt

FlippettyFlop — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:14:38 GMT

How do you know/what makes you think I am using that browser?

Re: I can not log into My Bt

FlippettyFlop — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:19:28 GMT

I am not using Chrome, I am using Brave. I have tried with another browser, Firefox, and this time it fails but in a different way, it now says:

Secure Connection Failed

An error occurred during a connection to my.bt.com.

The page you are trying to view cannot be shown because the authenticity of the received data could not be verified.
Please contact the website owners to inform them of this problem.

I am sure this a website configuration issue by BT, perhaps the SSL/TLS certificate. If it's not that then it's probably some kind of tracking stuff failing on the site due to privacy protections in my browser. Although I turned that all off and i still get the same. I have no cookies or cache, I clear it entirely every hour.

Re: I can not log into My Bt

FlippettyFlop — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:23:17 GMT

And for a third version of the error, I tried Safari browser, bog standard installation of browser with no extensions installed.

This is infuriating. I have a bill I need to pay (which failed first time) or they may cut my mobile phone service.

Re: I can not log into My Bt

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:24:58 GMT

How do you know/what makes you think I am using that browser?

From your post extracted the forum RSS feed at 1800 today.

"Same difference. The landing page after logging in will the same whatever route I take to the secure area. I used your link anyway, same error. thanks"

Posted with device: google_chrome_108

Re: I can not log into My Bt

FlippettyFlop — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:25:46 GMT

"From the RSS feed at 1800 today." Don't believe everything you read!

I don't like being profiled or my privacy invaded, and thankfully that's incorrect. 🙂

Re: I can not log into My Bt

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:33:44 GMT

The browser user-agent information is available to anyone, and is used by the web server to present the correct page format.

If you are using a browser add-on which is designed to present an incorrect user-agent, then its not surprising that the web server throws up an error.

Re: I can not log into My Bt

FlippettyFlop — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:43:42 GMT

Yes I was waiting for that. No, nothing to do with it. I just said I don't like it. And I don't, and you're description of what it's "for" is your opinion, and only covers ONE use for it. It's ALSO used to PROFILE people, to track users, to fingerprint people and their browsers, etc.

I have used FOUR browsers now. They all fail to log in. It's a website/server issue. And by all accounts (looking at how many people have reported this same issue over the past 2 years) it's one they don't give much of a damn about. what a surprise, BT has been useless for decades, not surprised to find that hasn't changed.

Oh and PS - The user agent string is available to all websites you visit, but I am not so sure it should be "available to all", i.e. all USERS of any website. It's potentially personally identifiable information (when used in a matrix with other vectors and information, helping create a picture which becomes more unique with each piece of added information). Not sure where users of this site should be able to find out what browser I am using (not that you did, thanks to Brave 🙂 )

Re: I can not log into My Bt

Keith_Beddoe — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 18:57:04 GMT

I am just a BT customer like you, and do not have any special access to the webserver.

There is no other public personal info available, like your IP address, that is only available to the forum moderators.

Google Chrome version 108, is used worldwide, and is generic information that would not identify a specific user.

Other user agents common on this forum. firefox_108_0 , huawei_mar_lx3a_ver1_suban100lx1a, apple_iphone_ver16_1, oppo_cph2023_ver1_suban120

The inability to get the correct response from the BT website, must be due to some configuration, VPN, or similar privacy filtering.

There is nothing else I can add to this thread. You may get a reply from other forum members.

Re: I can not log into My Bt

FlippettyFlop — Sun, 25 Dec 2022 19:24:16 GMT

As I said, I used bog standard installs of various browsers so there's no privacy filtering/options interfering. But I was already wondering about VPNs and you mentioned it too. I disconnected my VPN and hey presto, I can log in fine. How annoying, and typically and utterly ridiculous of BT. I guess they just hate VPNs, and it stands to reason, as it hides user's traffic from BT.

I use a VPN for it's main benefit, and perhaps only benefit, to INCREASE my SECURITY.

If they wish to punish users who like to secure their traffic, they could at least do as other sites do when they ban VPN traffic, they can TELL the user, so I could have saved hours of browser testing and just disconnected my VPN.

However in case anyone else happens across this thread, I suspect this will be the issue for the MANY people receiving the exact same error messages I am seeing. Whilst disconnecting the VPN (and thus reducing one's personal online security) does allow logins to BT, SO DOES USING A FOREIGN SERVER! So that's the solution for those who find this thread. If it still doesn't work, just switch off VPN when accessing bt account, then turn it back on again.

BT is a privacy horror show, they always have been, and any claims that they care about user's security/privacy are fully debunked by their refusal to allow their customers to log in when they are using the HIGHER security option of a VPN to protect their data.

I will write to complain, and suggest anyone else who cares about privacy does so too.

I won't waste time explaining how a user agent IS personal information. Maybe a quick example... Your age, personal information? Why? I am 45 years old. So are millions of other people. So how can that identify me? It can't, IN ISOLATION. So why is it protected information, which BT wouldn't tell you if you asked for it about someone else. Likewise a postcode doesn't identify an individual, but it's still protected by data protection laws. Why? Because, as anyone who truly understand privacy issues knows only too well, A LOT of information/data points CAN be used to identify someone very easily, thus ANYTHING that adds to that picture is covered by data protection laws. My user agent is a specific piece of information that the web server 'needs' to know to 'serve' the correct version of the website, but there is NO need for any user of the site to know it. That will form the basis of another complaint to the ICO in this case, and I am grateful that you told me, thanks!

Re: I can not log into My Bt

garybs29 — Mon, 26 Dec 2022 08:47:14 GMT

Do you need to replace your tin foil? The BT website is perfectly secure so your rant about security is irrelevant, how do you know the VPN you're using for example is totally secure & the company safe?

Re: I can not log into My Bt

gg30340 — Mon, 26 Dec 2022 09:54:41 GMT

I wonder why, given that BT has over 9 million customers, businesses included and I suspect a great number of them use a VPN, there are not more people, along with your self screaming and ranting about this if, as you have asserted, BT do not "like" and "wish to punish" the users of VPNs?