Monday, September 15, 2014

Comcast says that if you use anonymity services that you're a criminal

Well OK, then:
Reports have surfaced (Via /r/darknetmarkets and another one submitted to us) that Comcast agents have contacted customers using Tor and instructed them to stop using the browser or risk termination of service. A Comcast agent named Jeremy allegedly called Tor an “illegal service.” The Comcast agent told its customer that such activity is against usage policies.

The Comcast agent then repeatedly asked the customer to tell him what sites he was accessing on the Tor browser. The customer refused to answer.

The next day the customer called Comcast and spoke to another agent named Kelly who reiterated that Comcast does not want its customers using Tor. The Comcast agent then allegedly told the customer:
Users who try to use anonymity, or cover themselves up on the internet, are usually doing things that aren’t so-to-speak legal.
Are there any ISPs that aren't miserable Quisling bastards?

10 comments:

Matt W said...

To a certain extent, who can blame them? It's not a big leap to go from criminally prosecuting FedEx for delivering packages containing illegal prescription drugs to prosecuting an ISP for "aiding" its customers in committing illegal acts on their networks...

Not that I think its right, mind you...

TheUnpaidBill said...

Wasn't the Tor network NSA compromised, or did they purge and rebuild after that was found?

As far as ISP's go, Comcast seems to be the worst of the worst.

Eagle said...

Comcast isn't an ISP: it's a cable programming provider that just happens to also provide a gateway to the internet.

Get a pure DSL or fiber service from an organization that isn't in the business of also selling TV programming (maybe your local telco). Then, you should be able to go wherever you wish without being blocked.

Ratus said...

This is a surprise?

You just had to look BP...

http://snarkyposters.blogspot.com/2014/09/exactly-what-it-says-on-tin.html

:D

B said...

Thing is....Every. Single. Incidence. Of. Copyright. Infringement on my businesses public internet....every single one, was a user using TOR.

Not saying that every Tor user does illegal things, but a lot of illegal users use Tor.

You are known by the company you keep

libertyman said...

Okay, I am on Tor Browser. Tell us what may happen. Or what may not.

Unknown said...

Good thing I gave them up a while back, otherwise I would get an angry letter and cancel their services.

My money is good elsewhere.

The Czar of Muscovy said...

Or we could look it up, and Comcast insists this never happened.

http://corporate.comcast.com/comcast-voices/setting-the-record-straight-on-tor

Paul Bonneau said...

I occasionally use TOR or VPN servers on principle. It's nobody's business what I am looking at, and any thing I can use to block the snoops, is going to get used.

Anyway, there are lots of ISPs out there...

Borepatch said...

@Czar, the original article had the audio recording. Comcast's denial doesn't specifically say that the recording was inaccurate, and Comcast's customer service is notoriously bad (there was a recent audio posting in the last few months of a customer trying to cancel his service).

I don't find Comcast's denial particularly credible.