Is my internet usage being watched?

Dopamine · Jan 06, 2009, 23:38:16

I've a strange problem that I'm hoping someone can explain.

For the last day or so - maybe longer, but I've not noticed until recently - whenever I download anything, be it plain web pages, images, video, this forum's pages, Netmeter also shows me to be uploading data too. The uploads are small, at a rate that averages around 50-100kbps, but they occur every single time I download anything.

I have no idea what is causing this. It happens on two different PCs and is not exclusive to my IDNet line as it happens when I connect by dial-up too.

Anyone ever heard of similar behaviour? I'm probably being overly suspicious, but it's as if everything I download or view is somehow sending details back up my line to someone or something. All machines are virus and spyware free (or at least, nothing is reported by Norton, Spybot and Ad-aware).

Any ideas?

Lance · Jan 06, 2009, 23:40:24

Whenever your computer receives a packet of data, it'll send back acknowledgement and then the next packets will come down. The sending of the ack is the only thing i can think of!

Dopamine · Jan 06, 2009, 23:53:53

Yes, I've considered that too, but the quantity of data being uploaded is pretty large, certainly much more than I've ever noticed before. I've measured it, and it seems that for every 100mb I download there's a 2mb upload, so 2%. Does that sound right?

Simon · Jan 06, 2009, 23:59:24

Does your firewall give any information as to what may be being uploaded, Dopamine?

Dopamine · Jan 07, 2009, 00:06:49

Not sure. I don't have an aftermarket firewall other than the built in XP one, unless Norton Antivirus 2009 also includes one, and wouldn't know how to find out anyway.

Simon · Jan 07, 2009, 00:39:39

I don't think Norton Antivirus on it's own would, but a firewall is included in Norton Internet Security. The built in XP one only monitors incoming traffic, so that wouldn't tell you anything either. I don't really know a lot about routers, other than how to get my own working, but you might be able to glean some information from that, by looking in the right place.

rumi · Jan 07, 2009, 06:11:27

...however.

somanyholes · Jan 07, 2009, 07:38:58

QuoteYes, I've considered that too, but the quantity of data being uploaded is pretty large, certainly much more than I've ever noticed before. I've measured it, and it seems that for every 100mb I download there's a 2mb upload, so 2%. Does that sound right?

youv'e hit the nail with this post. There's no specific percentage as such but 2% sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

Rik · Jan 07, 2009, 09:04:38

Take a look at your past usage on the account page, Dopamine. You'll be able to see the previous twelve months upload/download data, so you can get an idea of the percentage. If it's significantly higher, then scan your machine for malware & viruses and install a third-party firewall so you can check what is accessing the net.

Ann · Jan 07, 2009, 10:55:15

Seems good to me. Mine for January so far is much higher, over 5%, and I've not uploaded anything myself at all.

Download 1.96GB Upload 0.11GB

Dopamine · Jan 07, 2009, 14:51:43

Quote from: somanyholes on Jan 07, 2009, 07:38:58
youv'e hit the nail with this post. There's no specific percentage as such but 2% sounds perfectly reasonable to me.

OK, thanks everyone. Maybe I'm just being paranoid!

It's just that my connection is consistently taking longer to look up pages than it has in the past, even though throughput is as good as it's ever been. I know there's nothing wrong with my machines as it's the same when friends use their laptops here, and the delay isn't massively longer than it was 12 months ago, but I'm sure many of you, like me, know when a connection "feels" sluggish. Pages that were instant now take 1 or 2 seconds to commence opening. All my DNS settings are exactly the same as they have been for ages, I've tried different routers, so I'll just have to live with it and learn to be more patient!

Rik, my bandwidth usage report only goes back to September 2008, which I think coincides with when IDNet moved me from .gw5 to .net, so I don't have older usage to compare things with.

Rik · Jan 07, 2009, 15:31:11

It would be worth looking at the past few months, as that will give you some idea of your normal upload traffic. I've noticed some sluggishness this week, really since people went back to work - whether that's real or perceived I don't know.

vitriol · Jan 07, 2009, 16:58:49

Sounds reasonable to me, the packets being sent back that is.

Simon · Jan 07, 2009, 20:52:01

I rebooted my router yesterday morning, as I too thought things were a bit sluggish. Not really sure if it's had any effect, as I forgot to look at the stats before I rebooted

but I've certainly noticed stuff like YouTube videos taking longer to load.

Dopamine · Jan 07, 2009, 21:31:11

Same here. I've been using a Be connection for a while today accessing my normal sites, and it's instant to load every page. It would be unfair to describe my IDNet connection as "slow", but it's definitely sluggish at the look-up stage in comparison to Be's.

As for the quantity of data being uploaded, put that down to paranoia. It's about the same on the Be connection. I'm surprised I've not noticed it before, but they say you learn something new every day!