BitTorrent Inc. + Comcast = Love, Peace, Harmony…Not!
Written by enigmax on March 29, 2008When Robb Topolski made the initial discovery that Comcast was interfering with BitTorrent traffic, he couldn’t have imagined that it would lead to an FCC hearing or, more importantly, to apparent reconciliation this week between Comcast and the rest of the world. Thing is, Robb doesn’t believe a word of it.
Ever since the news broke that Comcast had been using ‘hacker-like’ techniques to hamper BitTorrent traffic, Comcast’s name has been dragged through the mud, with claim after claim of dirty tricks, lies, half-truths and strategic omission. It seems that nothing could go right for the company. Until this week, that is.
Apparently, everything in the Comcast garden is rosy these days, with previous arch-rival BitTorrent now working things out together over afternoon tea. However, not everyone is celebrating.
In 2007, Robb Topolski discovered and documented the Comcast interference, informed TorrentFreak and we published an article which ignited the whole debate. It’s safe to say, he’s been following this one closely.
Here are his thoughts on the Comcast / BitTorrent reconciliation:
—–
I’m probably a key figure as to why we’re all talking about Network Neutrality again. I was having a problem uploading on Gnutella in early 2007. I tracked it down to Comcast using Sandvine-injected RST packets. Blog stories led to press stories which led to independent confirmation. And here we are today. Peace and harmony? Probably not.
Today Comcast and BitTorrent seems to have solved world hunger — and I’d love nothing more than to be optimistic about it. But I cannot be. As they say on Slashdot — show video, or it didn’t happen. This deal is treachery, relies on how much we can trust the word of Comcast, and leaves the public interests out in the cold.
I think it’s strange that anyone believes a word that Comcast says. This is the Comcast that:
1. Told the FCC in 2005 that they would not degrade traffic in order to convince the FCC that network neutrality regulations were not needed.
2. Started degrading P2P traffic the very next year, and failed to tell anyone what they were doing.
3. Used a system that utilized forgery, and successfully placed blame on the other peer instead of Comcast.
4. Denied it when caught.
5. Then changed their story when the denials were not believed, but still never came out and said what they were doing.
6. Then they justified their actions by throwing their other Cable-Internet brothers and sisters under the bus with their “they do it too!” defense
7. Then stealthily changed the AUP days before an FCC filing where they referred to the new provisions.
8. When the changed AUP started getting press attention, they stated that a prominent story on Comcast.net alerted millions of visitors of the change and accused Marvin Ammori of crying wolf. (Google cache proved that nothing alerted users to the changed AUP until the day after the press started asking questions.)
9. Then they packed the Harvard FCC hearing.
This company has not demonstrated that you can trust its promises, nor can you believe its assertions. Comcast just used BitTorrent Inc. as a tool to try and defang the FCC.
BitTorrent Inc. is a content provider. Vuze, who actually DID make a complaint and petition to the FCC, is a competitor. Neither BitTorrent, Vuze, nor Comcast represents the interests of 12 million Comcast users nor the The Internet Society nor the public. And this middle-of-the-night deal was made without their input.
Nothing has changed. The RST interference continues. It was a wrongful act. BitTorrent Inc. has no right making a deal with Comcast allowing it to continue to commit wrongful acts until it finally decides it is ready to stop. The correct relief is to stop the interference immediately and to FULLY DISCLOSE what it did and to accept responsibility for those actions. (Even today, Comcast’s Policy VP refused to answer questions about the interference.)
Their word is worthless. Until the interference stops, I have no reason to believe it will. Until either meaningful competition returns to broadband, or until sufficient government regulation enforces Network Neutrality, we have no reason to think that this agreement will last through the night.
Robb Topolski
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TorrentFreak confronted Ashwin Navin of BitTorrent Inc. with Robb’s comments, and he told us: “We decided to collaborate with Comcast because they agreed to stop using RSTs, increase upload capacity, and evaluate network hardware that accelerates media delivery and file transfers. We’re at the beginning of the formal collaboration, but Robb’s work was instrumental to identify the offending practice. We need him and the community to keep an eye on ISPs across the world.”
“Our work with Comcast will benefit all P2P development because Comcast has agreed to manage traffic at Layer 3 (the network layer) rather than Layers 4-7 (the protocol/application layers). This is a core component of the neutrality debate,” he added.
As always, time will tell…
Previously: Norwegian ISPs Refuse MPAA’s Request to Disconnect Pirates
Next: Ridiculously Useless Bittorrent Software
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Very interesting article I most say it does not surprise me comcast is crap first of all.. They lie about their prices an then raise your rates months before the agreed contract date if you are reading these goto the smaller isp company’s I did Clearwire is out there they may not be the fastest but if others go aboard they will have to expand.. Do Not support the Enemy let them suffer
[quote comment="322742"]@#23 you can buy your own cable modem I had one from d-link so they can’t say they own it becuase I bought it from best buy not them. So how could they use that reason if you can buy your own modem? They more then likely will though I had good service from them but when I had to move they tried to say I two more cable boxes then my bill said and tried to charge me for a modem to.[/quote]
Apparently you have no idea what “DOCSIS” is. You can buy your own cable modem, but if it isn’t DOCSIS compliant (to the standard that Comcast requires) they won’t enable that modem. Just buying your own modem does absolutely nothing. The modem will not work until you call them and give them the MAC address of the modem and then they run a diagnostic before it’s enabled. DOCSIS has you by the balls.
Comcast is my ISP and they still won’t let me seed any torrents. :(
Well looks like Comcast had alter motives
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/01/comcast_acquires_bittorrent/
just switched from at&t to comcast. After a couple days of ‘I can’t seed’ it appears comcast has let me do just that. i even put utorrent upload speed on automatic and watched the ul speed graph jump to 216kb/s (speedboost?) before sliding down to a wavy 45-49kb/s. now seeding speed is steady at whatever i set up to 46kb/s. It has only been about a week so I’m still waiting for the “you’re using too much bandwidth” letter or some kind of network interference.
“22 Mar 29, 2008 at 22:17 by 22
…. If a PERSON would lie to you, betray you, stab you in the back like comcast, what would you do, eh?”
@#22
Why… you would elect them to congress of course… lol…
:)
“39 Mar 30, 2008 at 15:34 by kersh
…i took training to be a comcast rep once and i can see how people can get this idea that there lieing to you somehow but read your contract im willing to bet there is a clause makeing a vague refrence to an undesclosed amount of bandwith alotted for customers to ensure fair use of bandwith at all times for its other users. if you exceed the alloted amount and your the only one on your node there not going to give a crap as long as your not preventing another paying customer of there service.
that being said i hate them as much as you all but they just prey on us addicts of the internet who need are files faster =(”
@#39
I’ve read my TOS and you are correct.. My problem still is… what is the amount they consider to be “excessive”…??
Ive heard it’s anywhere from 90 GB (my area) to as much as 300 GB in other areas…
Just friggin’ tell me the amount so that I won’t go over it instead of shutting down my service and threatening me with termination for a year for a repeat offense.. If I don’t know how much is too much, how can I avoid a repeat if you refuse to tell me in the first place…??
Comcrap just sucks is all..
And like the others have said, my choice is Comcrap or satellite… And satellite already said they cannot work for me because of the big buildings blocking me…. :)
Hey. I’m wondering the clouds as to what happened to that 1.
Pirate bay as always are doing well for themselves as always + P2P seems to going down fast. Well I always knew that torrents are slowly becoming more user friendly but I never thought personally they’re on the decline. The whole point of Comcast’s interference is try to make it an other Vuze Imagine but at the same time it was their idea. It’s a complicated world we live in (in) now days.
Still what’s this about all about it was all known from the begining. Have any 1 seen what interference did to Gnutella!?! Yikes.
where are the hackers when you need them?
Can flowers really elevate your mood? I think it’s the intention behind them thats the key. Flowers really make you feel appreciated.
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