Is Comcast hacking?

By: Larry Magid
Topics: Tech Talk

In my column that went up today, I examine Comcast's alleged practice of blocking uploads from BitTorrent and other applications. The practice was reported last week by the Associated Press and numerous bloggers. The company doesn't admit to the practice but does say that it takes steps to protect its network from people who abuse their service by sending out excessive amounts of information.

The company reportedly does the blocking by sending out false messages telling computers sharing files that the file is no longer needed by the person who requested it. If these reports are true, Comcast may be guilty of hacking and impersonation. Even though their motivations might be noble, their methods are scary. It's like a government agency engaging in illegal search and interrogation methods in the name of homeland security, not that that ever happens.

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by TennMom1 October 24, 2007 8:37 PM EDT: In the area of Tennessee where I live, Comcast is the only provider of high speed Internet access. Since subscribing a little over a year ago, I''ve become convinced that blocking uploads isn''t the only "hacking" in which the company is involved. Under the guise of "protecting" their customers, Comcast blocks all pictures from email, unless sent as attachments, making the viewing of pictures a 3-step, time consuming process. When I subscribed to AOL, a message would appear if a picture was included in an email, asking if I wanted to open that email. AOL leaves it to their subscribers to decide whether or not an email source is trustworthy. Comcast has deemed that we are all idiots who cannot decide for ourselves. We are 20+ years past Orwell''s dire literary predictions, and Big Brother has become more pervasive and domineering than we ever dared to imagine.; Reply to this comment