[This can hurt Linux too, see below]
EFF study confirms Comcast's BitTorrent interference
,----[ Quote ]
| The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released a report (PDF)
| containing analysis of Comcast's Internet traffic interference activities.
| The EFF's study provides strong evidence that Comcast is using packet-forging
| to disrupt peer-to-peer (P2P) filesharing on their network.
|
| According to the report, the EFF used an open-source packet sniffer called
| Wireshark to analyze network traffic while attempting to seed public domain
| literature on BitTorrent with a Comcast broadband connection.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071128-eff-study-reveals-evidence-of-comcasts-bittorrent-interference.html
http://tinyurl.com/2g3aeo
Comcast Using Malicious Hacker Technique Against Own Customers, New Report Says
,----[ ]
| One of the nation's largest telecommunications companies is using a
| controversial technique to cripple certain kinds of Internet traffic
| traveling across its networks, says a new report from the digital rigthts
| group the Electronic Frontier Foundation in San Francisco.
`----
http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2007/11/comcast-using-m.html
Software aims to uncover 'data discrimination'
,----[ Quote
| Increasingly worried over Internet providers' behavior, a nonprofit has
| released software that helps determine whether online glitches are innocent
| hiccups or evidence of deliberate traffic tampering.
`----
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22013943/
Related:
Internet capacity alarmism is a corporatist scam
,----[ Quote ]
| The Daily Kos bogger writes, "When big figures like $137 billion start
| getting tossed around, it is always worth looking at the vital
| question... 'Who would benefit?' Sure enough, the article includes part of
| the answer."
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/26/internet-capacity-alarmism
Mark Cuban to ISPs: block all P2P traffic; Ars to Cuban: um, no
,----[ Quote ]
| Of course, there are many legitimate uses for P2P that Google Video can't
| replace, like distributing Linux ISOs. Furthermore, the notion that the only
| ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
| people who benefit from P2P technology are the distributors is wrong. If I
| have the option of grabbing a download from a distant single server or from a
| torrent with hundreds of users, I'm going to opt for the torrent. Why? It's
| almost guaranteed to be faster, and let's face it: most BitTorrent software
| is quite adept at managing large downloads. Perhaps I want to throttle it
| while playing a game; perhaps I want to encrypt my transfers. If I'm
| distributing video or audio, perhaps I don't wish to be bound by the terms of
| Google Video.
`----
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071122-mark-cuban-to-isps-block-all-p2p-traffic.html
Piracy figures are inflated say criminologists
,----[ Quote ]
| A DRAFT REPORT by the Australian Institute of Criminology says
| copyright holders are making up piracy figures in order to sway
| governments to their side.
|
| [...]
|
| Malik added that either these statistics should be withdrawn or the
| purveyors of these statistics must supply valid and transparent
| substantiation. However it looks like the report is set to be watered
| down. Since the draft has been made public, the BSAA has had a hissy
| fit.
|
| Now Institute principal criminologist Russell Smith said the report was
| "an early draft" that was "being edited" by the agency.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=35580
Consumer groups want Comcast fined for thwarting the Bible
,----[ Quote ]
| A number of consumer groups are petitioning the FCC to fine Comcast $195,000
| for every customer affected by their BitTorrent-throttling practices. The FCC
| has said in the past that service providers can't "block" customers from
| using certain applications or websites, but it hasn't enforced that policy.
`----
http://valleywag.com/tech/politics/consumer-groups-want-comcast-fined-for-thwarting-the-bible-317960.php
Comcast reported to FCC
,----[ Quote ]
| P2P throttling breaks FCC 'net neutrality' policy
|
| [...]
|
| Among the consumer groups who have approached the FCC are the Consumer
| Federation of America, the Consumers Union, the Media Access Project and
| professors at the Internet practices of the Yale, Harvard and Stanford law
| schools.
`----
http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/11/02/comcast-reported-fcc
Comcast's "We Don't Throttle BitTorrent" Internal Talking Points Memo
http://consumerist.com/consumer/leaks/comcasts-we-dont-throttle-bittorrent-internal-talking-points-memo-315791.php
Comcast Isn’t Net Neutral; Are They Liars, Too?
,----[ Quote ]
| Following reports that Comcast isn’t net neutral, Consumerist blog has
| acquired several leaks from Comcast insiders, claiming that they do indeed
| use Sandvine for packet shaping, and that customer service representatives
| are being told nothing about how the network technology works,
`----
http://mashable.com/2007/10/26/comcast-isnt-net-neutral-are-they-liars-too/
Senators want probe of Comcast's BitTorrent 'discrimination'
,----[ Quote ]
| The senators suggested the incidents indicate "Congress should consider
| adopting targeted regulations to protect consumers and ensure a vibrant and
| open communications platform."
`----
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9805308-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
Congressman to Comcast: Stop interfering with BitTorrent
,----[ Quote ]
| While a class action lawsuit is definitely one way to get Comcast to behave,
| another perhaps more productive way to do so is to have politicians step in
| and regulate.
|
| On Tuesday, I discussed the issue of Comcast's anti-BitTorrent "network
| management" with Rep. Rick Boucher, D-Va., who is a strong supporter of
| consumer rights and has led the battle to undo the damage caused by the
| Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA.
`----
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9804158-7.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20
OiNK Down, Norwegian BitTorrent Trackers Next
,----[ Quote ]
| With the BitTorrent world spinning on its heels after the shock takedown of
| the huge OiNK tracker, there are now indications that the shutdowns may
| continue. According to the lawyer who lost against ‘DVD Jon’, next stop is
| Norway and raids are imminent.
`----
http://torrentfreak.com/oink-down-norwegian-bittorrent-trackers-next-071024/
TorrentSpy Traffic Plunges After US Ban
,----[ Quote ]
| The MPAA has caused TorrentSpy, once the most popular BitTorrent site, some
| serious headaches. After a federal judge ordered TorrentSpy to log all user
| data stored in RAM, they decided to block access to US users, consequently
| their traffic dropped significantly.
`----
http://torrentfreak.com/torrentspy-traffic-plunges-after-us-ban-071006/
BitTorrent Admin Monitored by US Government, Forced to Dump Linux
,----[ Quote ]
| Sk0t, an ex-administrator of the EliteTorrents BitTorrent tracker is to have
| his internet connection forcibly monitored by the US Government. If that
| wasn’t bad enough, the monitoring software is Windows based - which means he
| is being forced to ditch Linux - or face being barred from the internet.
`----
http://torrentfreak.com/bittorrent-admin-monitored-by-us-government-forced-to-dump-linux/
Is Comcast's BitTorrent filtering violating the law?
,----[ Quote ]
| Assuming that the SYN packet goes through, the three-way handshake is allowed
| to happen, then the two hosts will be able to begin communicating. Your ISP
| can still kill the connection later, should they wish to, merely by blocking
| the transmission of future packets.
|
| According to Torrent Freak, Comcast is not doing this. They are instead
| sending a reset (or RST) packet to the Comcast customer, pretending to be
| from the host at the end of the BitTorrent connection.
`----
http://www.cnet.com/8301-13739_1-9769645-46.html
Comcast Cuts Off Heavy Internet Users
,----[ Quote ]
| Customers complain bandwidth limits are secret.
`----
http://consumeraffairs.com/news04/2007/08/comcast_ban.html?imw=Y
Torrentspy Disables Searching For US IPs
,----[ Quote
| Torrent indexing site Torrentspy.com appears to have disabled torrent
| searches for IPs that originate in the United States.
`----
http://slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/27/1541244&from=rss
Comcast Throttles BitTorrent Traffic, Seeding Impossible
,----[ Quote ]
| Over the past weeks more and more Comcast users started to notice that their
| BitTorrent transfers were cut off. Most users report a significant decrease
| in download speeds, and even worse, they are unable to seed their downloads.
| A nightmare for people who want to keep up a positive ratio at private
| trackers and for the speed of BitTorrent transfers in general.
|
| [...]
|
| Last year we had a discussion whether traffic shaping is good or bad, and
| ISPs made it pretty clear that they do not like P2P applications like
| BitTorrent. One of the ISPs that joined our discussions said: “The fact is,
| P2P is (from my point of view) a plague - a cancer, that will consume all the
| bandwidth that I can provide. It’s an insatiable appetite.”, and another one
| stated: “P2P applications can cripple a network, they’re like leaches. Just
| because you pay 49.99 for a 1.5-3.0mbps connection doesn’t mean your entitled
| to use whatever protocols you wish on your ISP’s network without them
| provisioning it to make the network experience good for all users involved.”
`----
http://torrentfreak.com/comcast-throttles-bittorrent-traffic-seeding-impossible/
|
|
