Bell ordered to inform customers about data gathering 08:09PM Friday Aug 28 2009 by backness
Canada's privacy commissioner, fresh off forcing Facebook to change how it handles users' data, is ordering Bell Canada to change how it informs internet customers of its network-management practices.
Honestly. I'm one of the first ones in line to make it law to be net neutral. etc etc.
However DPI really isnt that big a concern over privacy. Sure these machines are pretty much running at layer 7 of the OSI and can pretty much show a tech exactlywhat one person doing with their internet. Unless they are encrypting.
The sheer number of multiplexed data and everything though makes it practically impossible for them to do this interactively. The sheer volume makes it near impossible for them to log anything of detail. They could setup a system to log a specific ip's traffic. The data wouldnt be very consistent. You wouldnt see the data necessarily. You could then build the data perhaps.
The reality though... they could do this man in the middle sort of attack for a very long time. DPI doesnt really improve any of it. So any perceived decrease in privacy is impractical at best.
Hell. DPI isnt even really new hardware or anything. It's just improved and more capable software and algorithms.
Could bell use their DPI to utterly destroy privacy. You betcha. Not to mention EASY. Like literally flip a switch easy.
DPI is not required, it's being 'tested' now and will be used for more sinister purposes later.
Now by sinister, I mean advertising related, I don't think Bell gives a damn about what I do in my spare time but they would love to serve me "custom advertising" whether they're my ISP or not. -- Working to bring you closer to a Bell and Rogers free household.
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