Comcast Using Pop-Ups For Illegal File-Sharing Warnings?

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What's next Comcast? Pop-up warnings for visiting porn sites? Don't be gross, you know what I meant. ;)

Last week, a developer and Comcast user posted the above screengrab to GitHub, showing how Comcast is now injecting these warnings into customer’s web browsers when they believe that some sort of illegal file-sharing may have occurred.
 
Yeah it happens, upside is they let you know which strike you are on, and whether or not you should jump to VPN :D
 
Not cool. I'm the type of guy that thinks that ISP's are the delivery man. They deliver the packets where they need to go. Layer 3 and under. They should have no reason to inspect the contents of the packets.

But, I guess like any delivery system, they are subject to inspection and confiscation per US regulations...

I guess VPN's are going to become more widespread. Of course, Encryption is bad because terrorists (or something). So, even that's under fire.

Not a fan. Of both inspecting the data and injecting their own into my data. What's to stop them from sending other data? Not intentional, but through some attack? Send users malformed packets for some exploit?
 
Not to give them any ideas, but if they can MITM attack their customers web traffic what's to stop them from implementing a tracking/ad blocker to block all of Google's ad networks on behalf of their customers, then extorting Google for protection money to allow some of their tracking and advertising to actually reach end users?
 
They could do it like the old days and just terminate your service on the spot.
 
Ordeith said:
Not to give them any ideas, but if they can MITM attack their customers web traffic what's to stop them from implementing a tracking/ad blocker to block all of Google's ad networks on behalf of their customers, then extorting Google for protection money to allow some of their tracking and advertising to actually reach end users?
Click to expand...

Oh perish the thought of an ISP doing something to stop poor little Google/Alphabet's helpless data mining operation! That'd be a travesty! A horror! Like being stuck nose first into Ballmer's armpit during an outdoor summertime developers' convention.
 
Is copyright violation inherent?

What I mean is, if I make a song and someone shares that song without my permission can they be charged with a crime if I never take offense to them sharing it.

Granted I would loose legal ground if I knew it was being shared and did nothing, but is it inherently illegal to share copyrighted material?

THOUGHT CHANGE:

Oh actually it looks like this is more like an email injected directly into your web browser. It's saying that at some time in the past you went to something "illegal" and the person who owns the copyright to that particular material identified your account. This "pop-up" is now letting you know that you were identified.

To me this is actually even worse than Comcast just saying "this page is illegal". This means that Comcast is making your activities online available to a 3rd party. And the only way that a content owner would know that YOU looked at something they owned, is if Comcast first provided that you looked at it.
 
Probably explains why http traffic seems to slow or pause at times. If they're inspecting everything it's got to have some impact.
 
westrock2000 said:
Is copyright violation inherent?

To me this is actually even worse than Comcast just saying "this page is illegal". This means that Comcast is making your activities online available to a 3rd party. And the only way that a content owner would know that YOU looked at something they owned, is if Comcast first provided that you looked at it.
Click to expand...

Many studios will seed and even salt torrents to track the IP addresses in the swarm. That is how most "violators" get identified.
 
Ordeith said:
Many studios will seed and even salt torrents to track the IP addresses in the swarm. That is how most "violators" get identified.
Click to expand...

To me this sounds like BMG hiring someone to go stand on the corner and sell fake CD's and then calling the cops on everyone that bought to be arrested for buying fake CD's. Cause they gotta protect their copyright.
 
Ordeith said:
Many studios will seed and even salt torrents to track the IP addresses in the swarm. That is how most "violators" get identified.
Click to expand...

So, we should be suing those that upload the content as they are the ones providing the goods.

What's worse? The drug dealer or the user?

It's a disease, guys. These pirates need help. We need to focus on the dealers. :D
 
Ordeith said:
Not to give them any ideas, but if they can MITM attack their customers web traffic what's to stop them from implementing a tracking/ad blocker to block all of Google's ad networks on behalf of their customers, then extorting Google for protection money to allow some of their tracking and advertising to actually reach end users?
Click to expand...

https
 
Ur_Mom said:
Not cool. I'm the type of guy that thinks that ISP's are the delivery man. They deliver the packets where they need to go. Layer 3 and under. They should have no reason to inspect the contents of the packets.
Click to expand...
Not quite so sure this is due to packet inspection though, and more just a response to a DMCA notification.
 
Ya know I actually saw the popup a month ago. First time I had logged into my Comcast account in a year. I was a little confused because the file they mentioned was so old.
 
All I see with this is it slowing down your connection. It takes time to inspect every packet and the hardware to do so has a cost.
 
SunnyD said:
Some of us quite literally don't have any other choice.
Click to expand...

For me it was $40 + phone fees (about $52 total) to get 5Mbps or $49.99 to get 150Mbps.. I fought for so long, but I think one new AAA game download from Steam just broke me.
 
This is not nearly as bad as Cox effectively halting my internet connection and redirects me to a page where they tell me my connection has been used for piracy and names said files. I then have to agree to remove said files before my connection is restored.

I don't pirate shit, but I did let a buddy use my guest bedroom for about a week. I also found out he likes some really weird porn.
 
Tyler-Durden said:
I'm counting down the days until Google Fiber is up and running in my building. Can't wait to tell Comscam to fuck off.
Click to expand...

You think Google is somehow less evil than Comcast? That Google won't to 100 times more inspection and data mining against your internet traffic than Comcast does? If so then you are quite naive...
 
Ihaveworms said:
All I see with this is it slowing down your connection. It takes time to inspect every packet and the hardware to do so has a cost.
Click to expand...

Full layer-7 inspection can be done at line rate and adds < 1ms latency. It is expensive but it is not hard. See products from companies like Flash Networks (who happens to list Comcast as a major customer).
 
PigLover said:
You think Google is somehow less evil than Comcast? That Google won't to 100 times more inspection and data mining against your internet traffic than Comcast does? If so then you are quite naive...
Click to expand...
But, GF will be cheaper, faster, and I can get a better TV package. But, thank you for telling me what I already know.
 
There is no packet inspection.

This is an alert one receives after a copyright holder farms your IP from a Bittorrent peer swarm. They complain to Comcast, Comcast sends you a sternly worded email and an irritating pop-up then you agree to cut out the "Linux distro" sharing.

After six instances of this, Comcast reserves the right to...do things. What they would do is unclear, as I cannot find a single example of someone having their connection slowed or disconnected after receiving "six strikes".

What does Comcast do after a customer receives six strikes? I know what they can do in theory, but are there any confirmed cases of forced disconnects after the six strikes threshold has been reached? I highly, highly doubt Comcast would drop a paying customer because some porn rights holder is mad. Comcast is beholden to the almighty dollar after all, and there's no financial incentive to canceling your customer's service, especially at a time when cable subscribers are dwindling.

Also, Comcast sucks ass.
 
SunnyD said:
Some of us quite literally don't have any other choice.
Click to expand...

In my general area here how Comcast has been.

1st house:
Took them 5-6 times coming out for them to get it working after setting it up.. and it still wouldn't keep a connection all the time.

The last time they were out they had the gall to tell me it was because of a test filter that had been installed in the box on the house about 6 months prior even though the box had only been installed on the house a couple weeks prior.

2nd house:
Again, it took them multiple trips to even get it working (In a brand new house in a brand new neighborhood with brand new Comcast wiring).. and even then it still didn't work right for about 2 years - not my house

They also have stupid data caps and their crappy "share your wireless connection with anybody with a Comcast account" crap.

Luckily at my current residence I have a choice of 2 crappy and one good ISP.

ATT, Mediacom, and WoW!.

The first two I will never, ever, ever do business with again.
 
Biggest issue i see with this, It seems like something that is a RIPE for scammers. Script a up a page that if user is on comcast to have a message just like this popup telling them to download some software for what ever reason which ends up being a virus and people will think its OK. Since comcast is Known to set that popup message.
 
Damn, forgot no edit.

The gist is this, if you are not your IP, then you are under no legal obligation to comcast or anyone else to comply with any of this. In fact, since you are not your IP, comcast and whatever copyright troll is claiming you are your IP, has besmirched you and has used a third party to do it. I see that as an actionable thing. If it were me, I'd call comcast and ask them who the IP troll was that falsely accused you of infringement since that is both a criminal/civil offense. If they give you the name, then go after them, if they don't, then you could demand that comcast never bother you again with such a request unless a legitimate complaint is offered.

These people think they can just splatter-grab IP's and then nail you with it with no proof. Remember, you are not your IP and there are cases that say you aren't. Just my 2 cents.
 
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