ISP Restrictions Based on Hardware/Software? 387
An anonymous reader writes "IT Architect magazine is reporting that ISPs are working towards a greater restriction of a customer's right to run what may be 'insecure' software. From the article: 'A greater threat is that ISPs may try to restrict the customer's side by denying access to machines based on their hardware or software configuration. [...] former head of cybersecurity, White House terrorism advisor Richard Clarke even said it should be made mandatory to quarantine malware.' Something that may also come as a surprise to some is that Microsoft is completely against this censorship of internet access. 'According to Chief Privacy Officer Peter Cullen, Microsoft is against ISPs doing anything that would restrict customers' choice of software. And he says this isn't just about the impracticability of demanding that data centers patch everything on the second Tuesday of the month. Laptop and home users also have the right to run an insecure PC.'"
Of course Microsoft is against it... (Score:2, Funny)
Sign me up. (Score:5, Funny)
I want on the OpenBSD-only ISP.
Re:Of course Microsoft is against it... (Score:2, Funny)
Does this mean... (Score:1, Funny)
[1] at the corner of 40th and Plum: "40 miles out in the middle of nowhere, plumb out in the sticks..." If this isn't familiar to you, try "out where God lost his shoes". If these don't mean anything to you, you probably can't drive down a state highway and identify the type of animal based on the smell of the building they're housed in.
Re:Sign me up. (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Even if... (Score:2, Funny)
I'm all for these restrictions, because they don't apply to Open Source software - masquerading as other software is already quite standard. Only closed-source vendors and closed-minded customers have anything to be scared of, and I've no problem with them being scared silly by Homeland Security.
"I support Draconian restrictions because they'll be easy to circumvent."
Is that the Libertarian's Gamble?
Re:Even if... (Score:3, Funny)
Of course Microsoft is against it...Tech Support. (Score:1, Funny)
Life is too short to humor "experts".
The Horses Mouth (Score:5, Funny)
Spend an hour on the phone with someone trying to explain that you're not blocking their access to email but that you just don't know how to configure their software. This goes for almost any software that accesses the internet. I've been asked to troubleshoot problems with p2p apps, instant messaging clients, firewalls, spyware scanners, obscure Linux distros, outdated software (windows 3.1), and microwaves (yes, I've talked a customer through setting the time on their microwave...I was bored)
I actually had a conversation with my brother tonight about this very topic. Technology is so easy to obtain, everyone thinks they're qualified to use it. My broadband customers frequently plug their gateway into the lan side of their router (at least two users per day.) Of course, it's my fault that they didn't (can't) follow the picture-book instructions. Personally, I'd like to see the good-old-days return, when computer users knew how to use their computers. The days when calling tech-support was a last resort are long gone....people now call tech support in order to turn their computer on.