It seems I,m not the only concerned web user who has been watching ceratin ISP's creep away from their neutral gate-keeper role.
http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080907-prof-rails-against-greatest-reduction-of-user-privacy-in-net-history.html"In modern connected life," he writes, "almost no other entity poses a greater threat to privacy than the ISP. ISPs pose a much greater threat to privacy than other online entities and they even pose a greater threat than offline institutions as well, including doctors, psychiatrists, and lawyers." Greater, even, than Google.
Internet-savvy users are fully aware of this, of course, but most haven't had major concerns about all that sensitive data they're pushing through the tubes. ISPs have generally been solid on privacy, as Ohm concedes, and they've lacked the technical means to really invade that privacy, anyway
The two bulldozers, that are remaking the ISP landscape are "deep packet inspection gear" and "tremendous commercial pressures." ISPs at last have the technical capacity to monitor huge amounts of user web traffic in realtime, and advertisers like NebuAd and Phorm are (or were) simultaneously offering large cash payments for access to Internet traffic.
An interesting read and you can work your way through it by following the link above
The plain fact is this if ISP companies can not be trusted to look after your privacy we should all turn to using heavy encryption and take the matter into our own hands, a monopoly internet provider or even a cartel of internet providers may think they can force through "take-it-or-leave-it" sets of subscriber rules but we can of course all ensure such activity is exposed and campaigned against by harassing our politicians who I,m sure dont want their mail read either.
We Pay for our inernet service, if an ISP is shady enough to think they can abuse you and make a buck or two from spying on you I urge you all to make the biggest online noise you can, it needs only be done once to cause the right effect.
