Virgin Media has revealed more details about its plan to use deep packet inspection to detect whether its customers are using their broadband connections to download copyrighted material. Deep packet inspection allows an ISP to scan all the traffic coming through your internet connection. Should you be worried that Virgin are spying on your online wanderings?
We previously told you that Virgin Media planned to monitor its customers internet use. We now know it is working with a software firm called Detica to enable the process. Both companies say that deep packet inspection is only being used to measure levels of illegal filesharing rather than to snoop on customers. They say that customers’ IP addresses are ignored during the process.
However, while Virgin Media says it is not spying on customers, deep packet inspection can be used for that purpose. Iran and China are both known to use deep packet inspection to study the web browsing habits of their citizens.
Asked whether deep packet inspection could be used to identify filesharers, Virgin Media’s spokesman said: “It could be, but the technology hasn’t been designed for that purpose. The IP information is discarded. It allows us to understand the exact nature of unlawful traffic on our network.”
Virgin Media’s snooping plans have been slammed by privacy activists. Alexander Hanff or Privacy International which lobbies on privacy issues says: “Virgin will eventually use DPI to identify individual illegal filesharers on its network.”
Peter Mandelson has pushed for a ‘three strikes’ law to disconnect illegal downloaders. Methods like deep packet inspection are likely to be the only way such legislation would be possible.
Lord Mandelson’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has denied that the government is discussing making deep packet inspection a legal requirement but has not totally ruled it out. Lord Mandelson has said: “If warning letters backed by legal action do not prove as effective as we expect…appropriate technical measures [are] worth considering.”
Out now | £varies | Virgin Media (via Times Online)
