Has AT&T Lost Its Mind? A baffling proposal to filter the Internet.

Slate ^ | January 16, 2008 | Tim Wu

[Clintonfatigued]

Chances are that as you read this article, it is passing over part of AT&T's network. That matters, because last week AT&T announced that it is seriously considering plans to examine all the traffic it carries for potential violations of U.S. intellectual property laws. The prospect of AT&T, already accused of spying on our telephone calls, now scanning every e-mail and download for outlawed content is way too totalitarian for my tastes. But the bizarre twist is that the proposal is such a bad idea that it would be not just a disservice to the public but probably a disaster for AT&T itself. If I were a shareholder, I'd want to know one thing: Has AT&T, after 122 years in business, simply lost its mind?

No one knows exactly what AT&T is proposing to build. But if the company means what it says, we're looking at the beginnings of a private police state. That may sound like hyperbole, but what else do you call a system designed to monitor millions of people's Internet consumption? That's not just Orwellian; that's Orwell.

[Clintonfatigued]

This is indeed Orwellian. If they go through with this, I bope a boycott is organized.

[al baby]

I Bope they will

[tired1]

i don’t want to burst anyone’s balloon but, this has been going on for decades: way before T was bought by Cingular.

[Izzy Dunne]

I Bope they will

Assuming that means "I hope they will" in English, why would you wish for such monitoring?

[tgusa]

It’s all about limiting their liability for the traffic they carry. Music companies, networks, studios etc. are getting very aggressive trying to shut down peer-to-peer file sharing. Bottom line: it’s all about protecting THEIR bottom line.

[nevergore]

That kind of deep packet inspection would destroy the quality of their network.

Latency wouldn’t even be measured in milliseconds, prehaps minute....Bwahahahahaha

[2ndDivisionVet]

The telephone company has been spying on citizens since it’s inception. My late father’s sole job at Southern Bell was tapping people’s phones on the frames (1960’s). Alexander Graham Bell had an arrangement with the government that continues to this day.

[Citizen Tom Paine]

I assert, but cannot prove, that every message sent over the Internet is scanned by AI programs, and reported on. When you have the main frame computer capabilities to handle the number of messages (and financial transactions) that occur per second on the Internet, it will be done. I assert not only Uncle (and some other foreign governments) are doing this, but some corporations are also doing it as I write this.

[HAL9000]

It’s all about limiting their liability for the traffic they carry.

They have no exposure to any liability for their current traffic, as far as intellectual property is concerned. They are in a statutory safe harbor.

Perhaps this deal has something to do with the FISA immunity they seek.

[wastedyears]

Have they talked to Al Gore about this?

[svcw]

Hence the movie, “The President’s Analysts”.

[al baby]

no. boycott so they won’t monitor thats what i bope

[Arkinsaw]

I bope somebody at AT&T wises up. This will be difficult damage for the internet to route around. I bope it will.

[Arkinsaw]

I bope somebody at AT&T wises up. This will be difficult damage for the internet to route around. I bope it will.

[D-fendr]

Someone tell Obama.

He’s the Candidate of Bope™.

[TrueKnightGalahad]

Bope - a new FReeperism? :-)

[maine-iac7]

What would be the difference between scanning our emails and opening, scanning our snail mail letters?

NOTHING...

There would be a lot of discussion between, say, even family members, about news stories, ideas, opinions, - that could get investigated because the scanners would pick up 'buzz' words.

We'd have the fear of God in us that we somehow typed the wrong word, discussed the wrong subject.

There's a sense of censorship here in that people will reluctant to discuss anything much above:

"How are you?"

I am fine. The sun is shining here today."

Well, I hope you are well."

"Goodbye"

[maine-iac7]

probably meant hoped they boycotted???

[modican]

...to filter the Internet.

I'm surprised it took that long. There was too much good stuff/information on the worldwide web. It is probably the biggest threat to the existing power structures, since human existence. We don't even comprehend the impact of that yet. Yes, and that includes porn.