Why Comcast Sucks

[JG]

If you've not already heard or seen this filtering across the internet the last few weeks, the AP finally released a story regarding all the rumors of Comcast's questionable practice of blocking torrent traffic, including a test to confirm the activity.
http://www.comcast.net/news/technology/index.jsp?cat=TECHNOLOGY&fn=/2007/10/19/792854.html&cookieattempt=1*

This is how it works:
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."

So what's the problem?  Sure, they're just trying to save money.  But they're doing it by impersonation instead of identifying their packets like they're supposed to.
Many states make it illegal for an individual to impersonate another individual. New York, a state notorious for its aggressive pro-consumer office of the Attorney General, makes it a crime for someone to "[impersonate] another and [do] an act in such assumed character with intent to obtain a benefit or to injure or defraud another." (See: NY Sec. 190.25: Criminal impersonation in the second degree). I do not believe that it would be too difficult to prove that Comcast obtains a benefit by impersonating others to eliminate or reduce BitTorrent traffic. Less torrent data flowing over their network will lead to an overall reduction in their bandwidth bill, and thus a huge cost savings.
See the full article this quote comes from at http://www.cnet.com/8301-13739_1-9769645-46.html

Discuss.




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* note that Comcast's own web site pulls in all AP articles for its news section, regardless of how damaging the content is to them.

[ROMate]

This explains why I can't torrent shit at my house. I always thought it was an issue with our equipment; I never considered that such a thing as this could happen.

[Ellendesu]

This explains why I can't torrent shit at my house. I always thought it was an issue with our equipment; I never considered that such a thing as this could happen.

Well you thought wrong!

[Doctor_Raven]

I have Comcast and I don't have this problem at all.  I get torrents easily.  *is perplexed why he is not affected like others*

[tetsaru arigashi]

Okay, this is just stupid, imo.  If people are smart enough to know how to find and use torrents in the first place, they should be able to download them without any hassle.

"But what about the issues with copyrighted material, Tetsaru??"

Imo, copyright issues are greatly flawed.  Yes, I agree that people should receive credit for their own works, but at the same time, there really isn't any sure-fire way to stop those who can get around paying for it through the use of torrents, pirating, stealing, etc.  Think of it this way:  magazines, books, and newspapers are copyrighted material, yet people go into newsstands, pick up something, and just read through it, only to set it back down without paying for it, and then go on their merry way.  OR:  say a friend of yours has a player's guide to that game you've been busting your ass trying to beat.  You want to borrow the guide from him/her.  Sure, that's cool, but oh noes, you didn't purchase that magazine!  Is that really illegal??  Thus, I feel that torrented material should be handled in a similar manner - just as it has been.  The only real difference I see is that the copy comes in a data form instead of a physical form, like a book or DVD.  It's not like the FBI is gonna bust through your bedroom wall like the Kool-Aid mascot and cuff you the moment you start downloading that hawt lezbiyun pronz, lol...

Really, I guess the only way to fix it would be to erase the memory of whatever content the person stole, along with the torrented copy.  Anyone seen a cop wield one of those memory-wiping devices from Men in Black??  :3

Finally, people who are always concerned about making more money and getting richer urk me more than just about anything else.  As long as you're making enough to support you and/or your family's needs, that's enough, really.  Progress is good, but greed isn't.  =/

[Hyperguy]

As long as you're making enough to support you and/or your family's needs, that's enough, really.  Progress is good, but greed isn't.  =/

At the same time, they also have to make enough money to support their company, which often costs way more than supporting a family.

You also have to consider that people in high paying positions are going to want to be paid how much they know they're worth.  Otherwise they wouldn't have gone through the trouble of acquiring special skills to perform their job.

[Cashino]

those memory-wiping devices from Men in Black

(puts on sunglasses) Neuralizer. (flash) What you saw at 9 PM last night was not a pile of gigantic earthworms, but rather a group of women who had 10 times the normal dosage of LSD and subsequently engaged in a gigantic orgy. The stuff going into the pile was a group of men who saw this as a golden opportunity. You also went in and, once inside the pile, your vision was muddled with all the excess movement. Your friends found you this morning and delivered you to your home.

Finally, people who are always concerned about making more money and getting richer urk me more than just about anything else.  As long as you're making enough to support you and/or your family's needs, that's enough, really. 

But there's also a "need of want." Sure, people who're loaded like hell (actors, company CEO's, etc.) waste money like hell without considering the value of a doller, but the average person would/will enjoy getting some things that aren't exactly "needs" but just something to help enjoy life.

Also, I'm assuming the "getting richer" part just applies to people like misers, who just hoard money without spending it instead of something like a guy working hard to buy something he wants. After all, what good is money if you don't spend it on something, sooner or later?

[JG]

"But what about the issues with copyrighted material, Tetsaru??"

Not everything torrented is illegal.

It's not like the FBI is gonna bust through your bedroom wall like the Kool-Aid mascot...

Can't resist.

[Cashino]

Not everything torrented is illegal.

Using BitTorrent is legal, downloading copyrighted material isn’t.

Off torrentz.com

Stuff like patches and personally made files doesn't count as copyright material-worthy (and some game patches are huge; some push a couple hundred megs, which is an ass to download if you have to do it in one setting with 56k)