Virgin to target torrents

[Rik]

El Reg reports that:

Exclusive The UK's second largest ISP, Virgin Media, will next year introduce network monitoring technology to specifically target and restrict BitTorrent traffic, its boss has told The Register.

The move will represent a major policy shift for the cable monopoly and is likely to anger advocates of "net neutrality", who say all internet traffic should be treated equally. Virgin Media currently temporarily throttles the bandwidth of its heaviest downloaders across all applications at peak times, rather than targeting and "shaping" specific types of traffic.

The firm argues that its current "traffic management" policy allows it to ensure service quality at peak times for 95 per cent of customers while still allowing peer-to-peer filesharers to download large amounts of data.

The details and timing of the new application-based restrictions are still being developed, Virgin Media's Kiwi CEO Neil Berkett said in an interview on Monday following the launch of his firm's new 50Mbit/s service. They will come into force around the middle of next year, he added.

I doubt they will be the last to do this.

[vitriol]

There are 5 others that immediatly spring to mind.

[Rik]

I bet we could all name them too, Vit.

[Sebby]

It's so easy to get around, though. All you have to do is enable protocol encryption in your torrent client.

[Simon]

Indeed, Seb. 

[Rik]

One presumes they'll find a counter-measure.

[Noreen]

I've never really understood what "torrents" are except that they are something to do with downloading.

[Rik]

They're peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing protocols and systems, Noreen. Often used for illegal material, they are also used legitimately, eg the BBC iPlayer.

[Noreen]

So what's so special about them?

[Rik]

Nothing and everything. They are just another file transfer protocol, the biggest difference, perhaps being that, once you download something to your machine, others can use that machine as a host to download from, ie it becomes a server for others. This network of distributed servers makes the system more robust and less accountable, which is why it's used for illegal downloads.

[Noreen]

That doesn't happen with the BBC iPlayer does it?

[Rik]

It can do, depending on the choices you make.

[Ann]

Noreen, if you view the BBC iPlayer on the web as streaming video then it's fine, if however you download it and watch it later then you become part of the P2P process and others may download it from your computer. 

[Sebby]

Though that can be disabled in the settings, if you should so wish.

[Danni]

I get some of my Linux isos from bit torrent, as it can be faster and the sharing aspect appeals

[Sebby]

[JohnUK89]

I'm currently staying with my parents, who are on Virgin Media - and rather heavy BitTorrent users - imagine their shock when I tell them it's going to get throttled! They're not pleased at all, but they don't have any right to be displeased when all they download is illegal stuff. I tut at them.

[Rik]

I tut at all VM customers, John.

[JohnUK89]

Well that's a given - so do I, but I tut at the parents even more because of what they're using it for. Ah well, not much I can do

[Rik]

Would you like to borrow my wire cutters? 

[JohnUK89]

That'd cut me off too (Well, until next Tuesday, it would)

[Rik]

Make it a parting gift then. 

[JohnUK89]

Muahahaha, maybe it'lll convince them to get a BT line (and then IDNet) 

[Rik]

Got to be worth a try, John.