[OPLIN 4cast] OPLIN 4Cast #291: Who gets to control your Internet?

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OPLIN 4Cast

OPLIN 4Cast #291: Who gets to control your Internet?
July 18th, 2012

For a long time, libraries have expected to have some control over the 
content of the Internet available in their buildings. Whether to filter, 
what to filter, how much to filter - these are all decisions that 
normally have been in the hands of libraries and their governing boards. 
Lately, however, Internet service providers (ISPs) and support companies 
both overseas and here at home seem to be increasingly willing to get 
involved in decisions regarding the type of Internet you will get if you 
use their products and services. Some of that willingness is the result 
of business pressure, and some is the result of pressure from 
governments and interest groups.

  * Soon, your ISP will scold you for file sharing - will it make a
    difference?
    <http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/soon-your-isp-will-scold-you-for-file-sharing-will-it-make-a-difference.php>
    (ReadWriteWeb/John Paul Titlow) "In a matter of weeks, the Center
    For Copyright Information (CCI) will begin enforcing a new
    antipiracy policy cooked up in concert with the Motion Picture
    Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association
    of America (RIAA). Under the new system, major ISPs in the United
    States will send warnings to people who use peer-to-peer
    file-sharing networks to download content illegally."
  * Chinese operators hope to standardize a segmented Internet
    <http://www.pcworld.com/article/257813/chinese_operators_hope_to_standardize_a_segmented_internet.html>
    (PC World/Mikael Ricknäs) "Today, China blocks Internet access to
    some foreign websites. The goal outlined by the new document is to
    make it easier and cheaper for countries to create independent root
    DNS [Domain Name System] servers and realize Internet autonomy.
    Today, that is both costly and technically difficult, according to
    the draft. 'When you read the document it very much comes across as
    a way to severely segment the Internet,' said Patrik Wallstrom, CEO
    at OpenDNSSEC AB...."
  * Verizon Wireless wants to 'edit' your Internet access
    <http://news.cnet.com/8301-13510_3-57470566-21/verizon-wireless-wants-to-edit-your-internet-access/>
    (CNET News/Violet Blue) "Verizon has filed a brief (Verizon vs. FCC
    <http://www.scribd.com/doc/98989176/Verizon-vs-Fcc>) with the U.S.
    Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit for the 'freedom' to edit your
    Internet, dear customer. If you think this would remain a Verizon
    issue, think again. If Verizon gatecrashes Internet access
    filtering, you better bet that other ISPs will hustle to get on the
    train to sell Internet "priority' spots to the highest bidders."
  * Freeing your router from Cisco's anti-porn, pro-copyright cloud
    service
    <http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2012/07/freeing-your-router-from-ciscos-anti-porn-pro-copyright-cloud-service/>
    (Ars Technica/Jon Brodkin) "The service basically replicates all the
    features router administrators already have, but moves them from
    your home network to Cisco's cloud. The supposed benefit is that you
    can manage your router even when you're not at home. [...] In
    exchange for the convenience of Connect Cloud, you have to agree to
    some pretty onerous terms. In short, Cisco would really hate it if
    you use the Web to view porn or download copyrighted files without
    paying for them."

*/Terms of Service fact:/*

Cisco quickly revised their Terms of Service to address customers' 
complaints that the Connect Cloud service required them to allow Cisco 
to track all their Internet use. The revised Terms, however, still 
require customers to agree not to use Cisco cloud-managed routers 
"...for obscene, pornographic, or offensive purposes."
------------------------------------------------------------------------
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