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NEW YORK - Comcast Corp. actively interferes with
attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a
move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic
equally.
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NEW YORK - Comcast Corp. actively
interferes with attempts by some of its high-speed Internet subscribers to share files online, a
move that runs counter to the tradition of treating all types of Net traffic
equally.The interference, which The Associated Press confirmed
through nationwide tests, is the most drastic example yet of data discrimination
by a U.S. Internet service provider. It involves company computers masquerading
as those of its users.If
widely applied by other ISPs, the technology Comcast is using would be a
crippling blow to the BitTorrent, eDonkey and Gnutella file-sharing networks.
While these are mainly known as sources of copyright music, software and movies,
BitTorrent in particular is emerging as a legitimate tool for quickly
disseminating legal content. -
The principle of equal treatment of
traffic, called "Net Neutrality" by proponents, is not enshrined in law but
supported by some regulations. Most of the debate around the issue has centered
on tentative plans, now postponed, by
large Internet carriers to offer preferential treatment of traffic from certain
content providers for a fee.Comcast's interference, on the other hand, appears to be
an aggressive way of managing its network to keep file-sharing traffic from
swallowing too much bandwidth and affecting the Internet speeds of other
subscribers.Number two provider
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Michel BauwensTests confirm data discrimination by number 2 U.S. service provider
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Douglas would not specify what the company means by "access" — Comcast subscribers can download BitTorrent files without hindrance. Only uploads of complete files are blocked or delayed by the company, as indicated by AP tests.
But with "peer-to-peer" technology, users exchange files with each other, and one person's upload is another's download. That means Comcast's blocking of certain uploads has repercussions in the global network of file sharers.
Comcast's technology kicks in, though not consistently, when one BitTorrent user attempts to share a complete file with another user.
Each PC gets a message invisible to the user that looks like it comes from the other computer, telling it to stop communicating. But neither message originated from the other computer — it comes from Comcast. If it were a telephone conversation, it would be like the operator breaking into the conversation, telling each talker in the voice of the other: "Sorry, I have to hang up. Good bye."
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Comcast's approach to traffic shaping is different because of the drastic effect it has on one type of traffic — in some cases blocking it rather than slowing it down — and the method used, which is difficult to circumvent and involves the company falsifying network traffic. -
Douglas would not specify what the company means by "access" — Comcast subscribers can download BitTorrent files without hindrance. Only uploads of complete files are blocked or delayed by the company, as indicated by AP tests.
But with "peer-to-peer" technology, users exchange files with each other, and one person's upload is another's download. That means Comcast's blocking of certain uploads has repercussions in the global network of file sharers.
Comcast's technology kicks in, though not consistently, when one BitTorrent user attempts to share a complete file with another user.
Each PC gets a message invisible to the user that looks like it comes from the other computer, telling it to stop communicating. But neither message originated from the other computer — it comes from Comcast. If it were a telephone conversation, it would be like the operator breaking into the conversation, telling each talker in the voice of the other: "Sorry, I have to hang up. Good bye."
...
Comcast's approach to traffic shaping is different because of the drastic effect it has on one type of traffic — in some cases blocking it rather than slowing it down — and the method used, which is difficult to circumvent and involves the company falsifying network traffic.
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