"But from a company that seems to be fast and helpful in replying to email, not a word on the 'phoning home' issue. I can't help but wonder why."

Try asking again, Morphy, maybe it just slipped through the cracks. When this was originally discovered, there was a huge stink, and CL explained it. I doubt that they're trying to hide something that's fairly common knowledge in the community.

Further, I copied this right off CL's website:

Poser 4 English Updater Description

"Some firewall applications erroneously post a warning that states Poser is attempting to establish an Internet connection. This is a false warning; Poser is not looking beyond your local network. Poser is not establishing an Internet connection."

So there's no big secret, no cover-up, no reason to call the Men in Black, Morphy m'man. Everything's cool.