Time Warner threatens peer to peer users

[yulog]

Anyone else get a threatening letter from time warner cable? Received one today forcing me to click on an agreement that i would not use peer to peer networks(i couldn't get on the internet without clicking their no other options form). Oddly enough this happened right after i completed a windows update. Anyone know anything about this?

[Rip Rokken]

Whether it's related or not, I know lots of snoopware or anti-piracy safeguards are getting pushed out under the guise of "updates". Windows Genuine Advantage is actually considered a "critical update", and it serves no more purpose than to let MS know if you are using an unlicensed copy of Windows. REALLY fun when it malfunctions.

Tell the cable company you promise not to clog their networks downloading feature length movies - you just want to steal some free tunes.

[yulog]

Whether it's related or not, I know lots of snoopware or anti-piracy safeguards are getting pushed out under the guise of "updates". Windows Genuine Advantage is actually considered a "critical update", and it serves no more purpose than to let MS know if you are using an unlicensed copy of Windows. REALLY fun when it malfunctions.

Tell the cable company you promise not to clog their networks downloading feature length movies - you just want to steal some free tunes.

Takes too long to download a movie, tv shows are about as big a file as i will go and now that mininova is dead its hard to trust any of these fly by night sites

[conversationpc]

I can see agreeing to not download illegal content but to agree not to use peer-to-peer networks isn't right, in my opinion.

[Rip Rokken]

Don't know if I'm right, but my feeling is it has more to do with sucking up bandwidth than anything else. Especially when most peep-to-peer traffic is bi-directional. I heard last year some broadband providers had started capping bandwidth for some serial abusers. Cable bandwidth is also split between up to 8 neighbors sharing the same trunk, and maybe they were getting a lot of complaints.

I am curious though, and this is an honest question -- is there a significant use of P2P networks for legit reasons? I know it's certainly possible and there has to be some, but personally I've only seen people use them to skirt paying for stuff.

[Ehwmatt]

Time Warner will never learn. I'm pretty sure they got hit by a class action suit a year or two ago because they were literally disconnecting people whose bandwith hinted at P2P activity. My parents have had Time Warner for years and I know when I tried to torrent when I lived at home, I would often get bumped off. Wasn't surprised to see that suit at all years later. At any rate, forcing you to agree to such a term is bullshit, especially when there's likely no alternative high-speed Internet option in your area (don't say DSL or satellite please, they are both shit).

I sure am glad I'm on a Mac without that snoopware bullshit they try and pull on you with Windows updates and what not.

[yulog]

I'm paying over 100 bucks for cable and internet , if i cant download tv shows that i miss because i'm not at home or they conflict with another tv show thats on, i dont see the sense in paying them for the service(whats the sense in paying 50/month for high speed if they wont let you use your bandwith) . If i'm lucky i may only watch 10 different channels and 5 of those are the standards that i should be able to get with just a pair of rabbit ears.

[Ehwmatt]

I'm paying over 100 bucks for cable and internet , if i cant download tv shows that i miss because i'm not at home or they conflict with another tv show thats on, i dont see the sense in paying them for the service(whats the sense in paying 50/month for high speed if they wont let you use your bandwith) . If i'm lucky i may only watch 10 different channels and 5 of those are the standards that i should be able to get with just a pair of rabbit ears.

What's next, they're gonna tell me I can't stream Netflix to my Blu Ray so I pay for their shitty on Demand stuff ?

[yulog]

I'm paying over 100 bucks for cable and internet , if i cant download tv shows that i miss because i'm not at home or they conflict with another tv show thats on, i dont see the sense in paying them for the service(whats the sense in paying 50/month for high speed if they wont let you use your bandwith) . If i'm lucky i may only watch 10 different channels and 5 of those are the standards that i should be able to get with just a pair of rabbit ears.

What's next, they're gonna tell me I can't stream Netflix to my Blu Ray so I pay for their shitty on Demand stuff ?

Exactly, if they are going to pull this stuff, they need to give up their rights to being the only cable company in your area.Cox cable is out here as well as others but where i live i'm told i can only opt for time warner. If they want to rip me off by telling me i cant use my bandwith then i should be allowed to us another service who doesn't play that game.

[Ehwmatt]

I'm paying over 100 bucks for cable and internet , if i cant download tv shows that i miss because i'm not at home or they conflict with another tv show thats on, i dont see the sense in paying them for the service(whats the sense in paying 50/month for high speed if they wont let you use your bandwith) . If i'm lucky i may only watch 10 different channels and 5 of those are the standards that i should be able to get with just a pair of rabbit ears.

What's next, they're gonna tell me I can't stream Netflix to my Blu Ray so I pay for their shitty on Demand stuff ?

Exactly, if they are going to pull this stuff, they need to give up their rights to being the only cable company in your area.Cox cable is out here as well as others but where i live i'm told i can only opt for time warner. If they want to rip me off by telling me i cant use my bandwith then i should be allowed to us another service who doesn't play that game.

Time Warner is exclusive in the town/city my parents live in, I live in a neighboring city and I believe I could get Adelphia too, but my apartment complex has a deal with TW and I'd be paying like $30 more for Adelphia. I only pay $72 a month for cable/internet/DVR.

But yes, pulling this nonsense on consumers when there is no alternative is just bullshit.

[Behshad]

This is bullshit....

Its like if your cable TV provider would give you instructions on what channels & programs you can or cant watch.

[Rip Rokken]

BTW, for any concerned non-technical types, "peer-to-peer" is not a term for some double-golden-shower sex act. That stuff is still perfectly accessible via your Internet connections.

[Behshad]

BTW, for any concerned non-technical types, "peer-to-peer" is not a term for some double-golden-shower sex act. That stuff is still perfectly accessible via your Internet connections.

[Rip Rokken]

[Sarah]

I'm paying over 100 bucks for cable and internet , if i cant download tv shows that i miss because i'm not at home or they conflict with another tv show thats on, i dont see the sense in paying them for the service(whats the sense in paying 50/month for high speed if they wont let you use your bandwith) . If i'm lucky i may only watch 10 different channels and 5 of those are the standards that i should be able to get with just a pair of rabbit ears.

There are a couple of reasons against this argument I can think of off the top of my head. First of all, whichever studio reports your IP downloading their content illegally to Time Warner has no way of knowing if you're a legit cable subscriber without Time Warner double checking your account type, and I'm betting that would be a major hassle for everyone, so they would rather just warn everyone who gets reported. The other thing is that networks and studios cannot make their advertising money if you download an AVI of a show you missed, and they also lose a chance at selling you a DVD of the movie or TV show later on. From a business standpoint, of course they would want to curb filesharing.




Rip: the only "legit" torrenting I can remember doing is downloading Linux. It is a good method, but yeah. not a lot of practical legal application.