Re: truth in advertising for ISPs

["Ben Holland" <user=122@nabble.blu.org>]

 Ahhh I see why that pen analogy is different, how about this... if the 
manufacturer claimed absolutely nothing about the pen at all (which is the 
case) then there is nothing to say that in fact the pen can or can not stab 
someone to death. If however, an ISP says that this packet is good, or this 
packet is bad not based on the packet header, but what that packet 
contains... then the ISP is starting to say in that pen analogy... This pen 
can stab someone, and this pen can not... we will only sell pens that can 
not ever under any circumstances stab some one. If someone gets stabbed with 
a stab free pen, law suits to high heaven. If an ISP can say this packet is 
good, and this packet is bad... and the ISP gets it wrong it's considered 
"an overzealous but not harmful security ", but if an ISP gets it right by 
blocking spam and killing a DOS attack on their routers, they have a 
"successful security system". My point with all of this is that ISP's could 
be getting themselves into deep trouble by claiming to have any interest at 
heart, other then to pass bits. If an ISP only passes bits, it can never be 
held responsible, much like the pen maker not saying that the pen can or can 
not be used to stab someone. This is why I am getting totally confused about 
the whole comcast WANTING to block ports and drop packets, and enable their 
own form of "security". They should merely be the rails the train rides on, 
it shouldn't care if dead bodies, or bombs, or flowers get shipped over 
them, leave that to the end people. ~Ben 



On Jan 22, 2008 4:33 PM, Hunter Heinlen <[hidden email]> wrote: 

> Gordon Marx wrote: 
> 
> > Dude, you really think that's going to beat Echelon? You REALLY think 
> > that NO ONE on that project thought  "oh man, 1337-sp34k is easy to 
> > programmatically decode into English, why don't we look for it?" 
> 
> Echelon was created by the lowest bidder.  Google for the Cringley 
> pulpit article on it and Carnivore. 
> 
> Hunter Heinlen 
> 
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