Why Comcast is Evil

[Thorin]

I think Comcast is evil, although I think that about quite a few ISPs.  But here's an interesting factoid - they have been caught sending signals to P2P programs on their network to stop downloads:

Increasingly worried over internet providers' behaviour, a nonprofit group has released software that helps determine whether online glitches are innocent hiccups or evidence of deliberate traffic tampering.

[..]

The new software compares lists of data packets sent and received by two different computers and looks for discrepancies between what one sent and the other actually received.

[..]

An Associated Press investigation, published last month, confirmed in nationwide tests that Comcast Corp., the No. 2 U.S. internet provider, interfered with attempts by some subscribers to its high-speed service to share files online. EFF, which had been running its own tests, later said its findings were consistent with the Associated Press results.

The tests revealed that a PC would see messages from Comcast that were invisible to the user that told it to stop communicating, which would lead it to cancel a download or upload.

The Associated Press tests helped revive the debate over so-called "net neutrality," how to treat all types of internet traffic equally.

Comcast says it does not block access to any applications but does use sophisticated technologies to keep internet connections running smoothly.

I'm just waiting for Shaw and Telus to get their hands on that technology...

[Tom]

Yup, they send out forged TCP reset packets to get both sides to get them to drop the connection. Its totally against the TCP spec for one, and people that weren't worried about net neutrality started to worry about it, so it might be a good thing

We can only hope more network operators follow Verizon's footsteps with regards to the new open access plan they are creating.

[Thorin]

I wonder if forging TCP packets is illegal under the DMCA?  Hmm...  That'll take some thought and reading before I'll be able to form an opinion.

[Darren Dirt]

Well, gee whiz, Comcast has to stop the evil file sharing folks, after all, those P2P products are never used for anything legal or legitimate-business-related right?

[Tom]

they couldn't care less if it was legal or not, its eating up bandwidth, and they really don't want to have to upgrade because its not "maximizing shareholder value".

[Mr. Analog]

If you don't like performance from your P2P, couldn't you use something like TOR?

[Tom]

If you don't like performance from your P2P, couldn't you use something like TOR?

TOR is extremely slow, and p2p over TOR and other such networks tends to bring the entire network to a crawl (relatively speaking). Infact its against TORs TOS to run p2p over it.