On 9/19/05, David Robb
Having worked for various isps/carriers over the last few years, and been faced with requests to do this from time to time, I'm interested to know what people think about the blocking of such sites.
Is it ok for an ISP to do? Is it ok for a Telco/Carrier to do? (difference being that they've probably got more - or even all - of the ISPs behind them, who then don't get a choice)
Are there alternatives?
"This new application provides the most comprehensive array of optimization and content management options currently available for cable operators and internet protocol service providers seeking to selectively disable undesirable network traffic and improve service levels on their networks. Applications such as Skype, Peer-2-Peer (P2P) messaging, streaming media and instant messaging increasingly cause congestion on service provider networks and interrupt or degrade service for other critical applications." http://www.verso.com/news/article.asp?ID=296 As soon as you start applauding at best partial technical control of "evil," you are potentially opening the door to a far wider range of impositions that might violate your idea of "good.". One might hope the competitive market place might route around such damage, but...
--David
Hamish. -- http://del.icio.us/Hamish.MacEwan