

Verizon to throttle pirates’ download speeds - derpenxyne
http://www.extremetech.com/internet/140707-verizon-to-throttle-pirates-download-speeds

======
csense
Assuming pirate connections use encryption, how can Verizon tell the
difference between piracy and legitimate downloads? How do they know that
"torrent" isn't actually videoconferencing, online gaming, remote desktop, or
VoIP?

For that matter, there are plenty of legitimate torrents -- when I last played
World of Warcraft, for example, Blizzard was using Bittorrent to distribute
updates if they were above a certain size threshold. I also download Linux
distros over torrents -- a small way I can give something back to the
creators.

Also, it bothers me that a private company would be able to cut off the one
wire bringing freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of the press and
freedom of association into the home, with no oversight and no appeal process.

~~~
gizmo686
Not only can they cut of the connection, but they can do it specificlly for
what you use it for.

Still, as long as my speech is protected, It is only bad guys who suffer.

------
bediger4000
How is this throttling different than an admission that Verizon snoops all
your traffic?

Perhaps they just pealize all traffic on certain well-known TCP ports? As a
Slackware Linux user, I have used BitTorrent to get the latest release of
Slackware a half a dozen times, but that's the extent of the Torrenting I've
done. It's all legal, as near as I can tell, and I'd hate to get penalized for
legal behavior.

How is Verizon protecting themselves against loosing customers and lawsuits
over this?

------
anonymouz
Going to court against single users over fantastillions of dollars didn't
prove effective for the RIAA/MPAA, and going after the hosters in court didn't
prove effective. The methods employed there were bad enough.

It is frightening to see that their new weapon of choice is essentially a sort
of collusion with monopolists (or oligopolists) in the ISP market. I'm sure
them messing with basic infrastructure in the name of profit, ah, sorry,
"justice", will work out really well for the rest of us...

