A report over at DeepDotWeb claims that Comcast has contacted some users telling them that they risk disconnection if they continue using the privacy-minded Tor browser. Tor (as our recent report explores) is an entirely legal browser used by 1.2 million people, only some of whom use the browser to buy narcotics and other black market goods.
According to the report, Comcast support employees informed a number of unidentified users that Tor "wasn't legal," and even demanded to know what sites users were accessing with the browser. The report fails to prove that this is a widespread Comcast behavior as opposed to a few, marginally incompetent first-level support reps. The site goes on to quote a Comcast support representative named "Kelly" who allegedly called a user and stated:
quote:
Users who try to use anonymity, or cover themselves up on the internet, are usually doing things that aren’t so-to-speak legal. We have the right to terminate, fine, or suspend your account at anytime due to you violating the rules. Do you have any other questions? Thank you for contacting Comcast, have a great day.
As the report goes on to note it's likely not Tor specifically Comcast is targeting, but the fact that users were running relay or exit nodes, therefore technically violating Comcast's no server restriction in their
residential acceptable use policies (something most ISPs have, including the well-loved
Google Fiber). Not that this is all that much better, but it is an important distinction from believing Comcast is threatening users simply based on their software preferences.
I reached out to Comcast and was told by spokesman Charlie Douglas that the report is "wildly inaccurate."
"The anecdotal chat room evidence provided is not consistent with our agents’ messages and is not accurate," said Douglas. "Per our own internal review, we have found no evidence that these conversations took place, nor do we employ a Security Assurance team member named Kelly." Douglas proceeded to state that "Comcast doesn’t monitor users’ browser software or web surfing, and has no program addressing the Tor browser. Customers are free to use their Xfinity Internet service to visit any website or use it however they wish."
Update: Comcast engineering VP (and DSLReports.com regular) Jason Livingood also penned
this blog post that's worth a read. The short version:
quote:
Our customers can use Tor at any time, as I have myself. I’m sure many of them are using it right now.