PressCoverage

as predicted, it's already happening...

corporate privatization of everything!!! hooray!!

yay corporations!! censoring america one Web site at a time...

Comcast blocks some Internet traffic By PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer

Fri Oct 19, 6:32 PM ET

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.

maverick4

the internet is the last true bastion of freedom.

PressCoverage

not if corporate REPUBLICAN influences have their way... it'll be long gone before many of our other remaining, yet waning, bastions of freedom..

why? because a privatized internet means profit!!!! and if we've learned anything, it's that profit supercedes right vs. wrong...

BelichickFan

First, most of those sites are for illegal activity anyway - I did read the line about Bit Torrent and I don't know much about the legal usage but it's difficult to argue against stopping illegal activity.

But the bigger point is - this is a private company making a private choice. It's not the government shutting it down. Don't like what Comcast is doing ? Use your free market and use a different ISP.

Real World

Why is this a Republican or Demorcatic thing?

__________________

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 10 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.


"The most difficult subjects can be explained to the most slow-witted man if he has not formed any idea of them already; but the simplest thing cannot be made clear to the most intelligent man if he is firmly persuaded that he knows already, without a shadow of doubt, what is laid before him."
Leo Tolstoy, 1897

STFarmy

Exactly. If we stop paying attention BOTH parties will attempt to limit free speech. Republicans will do it for morality reasons and Democrats for "offensive" reasons, such so-called racism and hate speech. Wake up guys, this isn't a partisan issue.

BelichickFan

It's not a governmental issue. It's a private company making a decision. No different from Wal Mart choosing not to sell pornography.

STFarmy

Well true, in this specific case. But I was speaking of internet regulation on the whole. You're right though, I should have addressed the topic of this thread specifically.

sdaniels7114

I'm not quite sure how this throttles anything. I doubt I've ever uploaded a complete file to any one user or downloaded a complete file from any one user.
All the files are broken up into very small bits and distributed as such. hence the name: Bittorrent. The file only gets re-assembled into a whole when you've received all the individual bits. Even the original uploader, the person who brings the traffic to the web, will give out maybe 10% to each of 10 users who then share with each other to get the whole file, while the first guy goes off to find 10 other users to share with.

PressCoverage

and when they all start deciding to test the waters and do it?...

and they will... you appear to be missing the point... just as most Americans seem to be missing the signals as each layer of the Bill of Rights morphs into... something else... this is just the beginning regarding their undeniable plans to privatize the internet as big business sees fit...

look, people here can pretend net neutrality isn't a partisan issue... but they're kidding themselves, or are in complete denial... it IS a partisan issue, as are most issues of privatization and increased corporate control of everything you buy, use, eat, drink, and perhaps soon the air you breathe... not saying some Democrats aren't slimey profit-driven weasels themselves, but overall... it's not even comparable to who's worse here...

here's the breakdown of House voting last year:

http://www.publicknowledge.org/pdf/m...-20060608.html

that's 211 of 222 republicans voting against net neutrality legislation...
and 140 of 198 democrats voting to support net neutrality legislation...

people against net neutrality are doing nothing more than helping discrimination on the Web, bumping out small business enterprises in favor of exclusive bandwidth for corporative interests...