[AusNOG] UK ISP's told to block P2P

[Mark Newton]

On Wed, May 02, 2012 at 12:07:22PM +1000, Nicholas Meredith wrote:

 > I really don't understand how a directory service can be held responsible
 > for the bad actions of one or more of it's listings.  It's just a phone
 > book for torrents, both good and bad, what nonsense.

It isn't even that anymore.

Protocols morph in response to threats.

Napster was attacked, which begat Gnutella.
Gnutella was attacked, which begat eDonkey.
eDonkey was attacked, which begat Kazaa.
Kazaa was attacked, which begat BitTorrent.

BitTorrent was attacked by DPI, which begat encrypted bittorrent, DHT,
BT-over-IPv6, and various other variations to the protocol which are
too numerous to mention.

Updated BitTorrent was attacked through legal means, which begat
BitTorrent "magnets" to eliminate centralized trackers altogether.

As of right now, we can all download our own copies of the entire
TPB site onto a USB stick and run our own local mirrors.

20th Century Fox, owners of Star Wars, appear to have never
heard of, "Strike me down, you will only make me stronger."

Disney, owners of Fantasia, appear to have never watched the 
scene where Mickey Mouse attacks mops with an axe.

In aggregate, they've all spent hundreds of millions of dollars to
test and strengthen p2p distribution networks, which now have a 
magnificently effective immune system against the attacks they've
had to face.

Doesn't sound to me like it's working out very well for them.

  - mark