AfterDawn: Tech news

Verizon VP says no plans to examine customer traffic

Written by Rich Fiscus @ 30 Jan 2008 10:17 User comments (9)

Verizon VP says no plans to examine customer  traffic During a recent Internet policy conference, Verizon Executive Vice President Tom Tauke spoke about his company's position on filtering customers' traffic for copyright violations. "From a business perspective, we really don't want to assume the role of being police on the Internet," said Tauke, adding "We are leery of using these technologies on our networks."
Recently AT&T generated a great deal of contreversy by announcing that they're working to develop technology to find copyrighted works, hoping to curry favor with content owners. Due to the Safe Harbor clause in the DMCA, as long as ISPs take action when informed of infringing content on their networks they're already safe from sharing liability for it, although many in the recording industry have characterized the ISPs as part of the problem, and said they should be required to police their networks for copyright infringement.



Although he did mention concerns about customer privacy, it appears Verizon is equally worried about what other responsibilities they might be asked to take on. After all there are a number of illegal activities that certainly involve at least a small number of Verizon customers. From child pornography to illegal online gambling to fraud, the possible activities other industries, not to mention government agencies, would like to have Verizon and other ISPs keep track of seem nearly endless.

It shouldn't be any surprise that Verizon isn't ready to upset their customers to appease content owners. In early 2003 they unsuccessfully fought to keep subscriber identities related to RIAA subpoenas private unless the recording industry organization had a court decision in their favor, at which time they would be willing to disclose the personal information behind the IP address.

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9 user comments

131.1.2008 03:30
nobrainer
Inactive

worried about their profits and the droves of users lost due to anti consumer privacy threatening tactics. Lets hope Verizon has the balls to stick to their words and do not coerce with governments and big business in the snooping practices. But looks like AT&T are happy to set up filters to snoops on their customers, with the recent spying stretching back to 2001 done by this company is anyone really that surprised, that AT&T would jump at the chance to erode more public liberties, maybe the CIA saw a perfect excuses here and one of the scare monger tactics has worked and gained enough support!


We are living in a world of being constantly monitored, and our liberties reduced with each passing day, all being pushed onto us through the fear tactics, and justification of Piracy, Paedophiles and Terrorism!

we are living in a "panopticon prison"

The dictators and fascists will not stop until we have an rfid chip up our arses and all money is transmitted digitally as what is the most heinous crime, any form of tax evasion obviously.


"Homegrown Terrorism" Bill all Americans read this and write to your governor,ect as this is another step towards fascism the USA.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 31 Jan 2008 @ 5:03

231.1.2008 10:25

If ISPs were forced to start monitoring their traffic, then I am sure there will be a huge drop in ISPs since profits will be down from everyone switching back to Dial Up. As a Verizon customer for internet service, I am glad that at least one ISP is trying to stick up for the privacy rights of their customers.

31.2.2008 02:25

"examine customer traffic"
Translation we do;t care what you download but we are still going to throttle you if need be.

A question to the cable/phone co. gods out there is one of the reasons for heavy throttling dueto over stating and over selling their overall bandwidth, it seems to me that they are 3-8 years behind asia in bandwidth and ti seems they built slower tech and are expanding on it while they up date to newer tech via placing all the cost on the consumer through messed up plans and rates.

41.2.2008 16:04

Why not just have video cameras set up in everyone's homes and provide DNA samples. Because it's important that we make the RIAA and the rest of Hollywood happy. I think that's more important than our privacy or rights.

52.2.2008 11:58

verizon has always had a hands off aproach to their networks. on the verzon 1x cellphone network they let you hack to your hearts delight just dont use too much bandwidth and DONT HACK THE EVDO NETWORK!!!

every isp throttles and they have been doing it for years (pretty much starting the year after bit torrent blew up). america is behind eveyone else in terms of internet speed and consumer cost because in america we have wide open spaces, setting up netoworks is more expensive because they will reach fewer people than say, in china or europe, and thus it will make less money. would you rather have cheap fast internet and live in an aprtment in a densly packed city or would you rather live in a nice big house with a yard and a grage and cars and just have sorta fast internet for ten bucks more per month?

63.2.2008 11:09

ISPs just provide a service, their not para-legals, their job is NOT to enforce Nazi-like surveillance on consumer Internet traffic.

Are gun companies partially liable for Gun-related deaths? NO.
Stop with this Gestapo crap.

This message has been edited since its posting. Latest edit was made on 03 Feb 2008 @ 11:22

722.2.2008 15:21

I think we have a situation that does not work out for wither party. One the authorities want to catvh the serial offenders and they are the ones u should go after whereas atm people that are more downloading for personal use and not for finacial gain is the fact here and they should not go after them. We really have a catch 22 situation here where neither side can win but it just rages on between both sides.

83.6.2008 23:57

Rubbish is the initial article, or else why did today's Verizon notice of changes to services now denote their now reporting to 'authorities' "Reporting of Actual or <get this> Potential Violations of Child Pornography Laws." So now it's potential and who's to say what that means, looking at cheerleader pictures I suppose.

I'm convinced 9-11 was just another pearl harbor, an attack allowed so as to persuade popular opinion as to the need to give unlimited powers back to the man.

How else to assure their new world order and regain power lost from the cold war's end?

94.6.2008 00:02

Originally posted by wguru:
Rubbish is the initial article, or else why did today's Verizon notice of changes to services now denote their now reporting to 'authorities' "Reporting of Actual or <get this> Potential Violations of Child Pornography Laws." So now it's potential and who's to say what that means, looking at cheerleader pictures I suppose.

I'm convinced 9-11 was just another pearl harbor, an attack allowed so as to persuade popular opinion as to the need to give unlimited powers back to the man.

How else to assure their new world order and regain power lost from the cold war's end?
Anything is possible...but I do not think that government is that well organized :P

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