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Ok guys - posting this here 'cause not sure where else this should go.
I just had my internet temporarily shut down, and I had to call Cox Communications to find out what the deal was.
Cox Cable told me that they have a three-strike policy for copyright infringement downloads, and that the file was noticed because it was being "shared" - which it is not....and for the record....I DLed this file.....many weeks ago....now suddenly - we are getting "warned"
Now.....Ive downloaded many....many torrent files
So my question to all you hacker gurus is -
A) Is this a file that had some sort of "tracker" in it? And if so - is there some way of scanning files for such "trackers"?
B) Is there some way I can prohibit Cox (or any other cable/internet company) from monitoring my activity? Is every company working with some sort of Echelon type program now?
The Big Brother-ish implications have me nervous....not to mention really pissed off.
I mean the guy at Cox actually told me on the phone that they give out a three-strike warning as a courtesy, as opposed to sending the "Internet Police" to my door.
Any comments suggestions and advice in this area are very welcomed ...... as well if anyone else has had similar experiences....
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Hyrule19200 Posts
A) The tracker you used to download the torrent
B) Yes, but it's easier to stop stealing
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You're torrent client is setup to share files, somewhere in the options you've allowed uploads.
It would be illegal for your ISP to track you, and they're not supposed to reveal your IP/browsing history without a court order. That being said, the only way to remain 100% anonymous is to connect to TOR and route all your traffic through that. Though to avoid getting caught by your ISP, you need only disable your client's upload.
Though to be fair, you have no right to be pissed off. You're illegally file sharing and your ISP is covering their ass. The fact that they do give you warnings is actually a pretty good policy.
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I'm not pissed at Cox. I'm sure they are just probably doing their job.
I'm pissed because my iTunes library is looking rather pale and pockets dry.
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Well it's the 21st century. The digital era. You have no privacy.
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On June 06 2012 05:11 Marti wrote:
Well it's the 21st century. The digital era. You have no privacy.
I needed to know that.
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still torrenting anything other than porn. 4shared, mediafire are probably the best ways to DL stuff smaller than 1gb. You can get a VPN that allows for torrenting usually they will only see encrypted data going through their servers and not actual torrent stuff.
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Look at Peerblock if you plan on continuing to torrent in the future 
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I guess I could always BK's free wifi to download my torrents, right? Lol.
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I'm not sure how Peerblock can block your own ISP.... I'm not even pirating a lot of stuff, just shows that they show on network TV so I can watch them whenever I want.
I think the future of ISPs will be monitoring stuff + bandwidth caps though. Not much consumers can do about it as there's only a few choices to go with. In my case Comcast is by far the fastest and probably cheapest.
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I wouldn't say there's nothing consumers can do about it. I don't have Cox or Comcast, and judging by all the horror stories, I would pay a hefty sum to keep it that way. Surely the free market will create an ISP will start which doesn't have bandwidth caps and doesn't monitor without a court order.
Where there's demand, supply is sure to follow.
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You are downloading via public torrents I assume?
ISP's can't track (Or at least I haven't been caught) for dling from direct downloads such as rapidshare etc. Private torrents are abit safer but nevertheless a torrent. I would stop torrenting and learn how to direct dl warez.
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On June 07 2012 13:14 Leeoku wrote:
You are downloading via public torrents I assume?
ISP's can't track (Or at least I haven't been caught) for dling from direct downloads such as rapidshare etc. Private torrents are abit safer but nevertheless a torrent. I would stop torrenting and learn how to direct dl warez.
You just haven't been caught.
Unless your data is encrypted through something (VPNs, etc.) then your ISP is able to see every little bit of information that goes through the tiny wires that connect you to the internet.
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A lot of games use torrent or P2P systems for patches and files like streaming downloads for betas. I got a warning from Cox while I was downloading the D3 beta from Blizz's site. So you can get warned for doing legal things, as well. It's up to them and what they say is right/wrong.
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Actually, turning off torrent uploads does not fix every Cox problem. Because the music and movie studios are watching your DOWNLOADs, and THEY are allowed under the new rules to report it to Cox. Cox is then required to take action. So far, the action has simply been notification emails, but they have the right to take down your connection if they deem so.
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They can track the type of traffic that is going through your internet connection. A easy fix around this is to buy a seedbox so that the torrent protocol goes somewhere else, and then download your file via SFTP.
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In short, with a dedicated enough system, there is 0 way for you to hide torrent traffic. You are connecting through their routers, and their traffic monitoring programs. Even under encryption, it's possible to see patterns in the traffic. With deep packet inspection, they may still see things (although most ISPs don't do DPI because customers become irate).
However, since you're saying "Cox", I'm willing to bet that your ISP choices are Cox and ???. And somewhere in the various agreements, at some point, you or whoever pays for it acknowledged that they can do this kind of thing. You can argue and fight with them about it, but your options are probably pretty limited.
(Sending ALL your traffic through a VPN maybe could do something but to be honest that would kill it.)
Best advice - don't pirate things. If you're not pirating things, I got nothing. Try switching to something else, but let me tell you...
+ Show Spoiler [ISP rant] +
ISPs got you by the short hairs for a variety of reasons unless you live in one of a very few places. A cable lobbying group once argued with me that "83% of Americans have multiple wireline providers" which to me caused a near apoplectic fit of rage because I live in the third largest metro area and have one - and it is not "broadband" by FCC definition. (3mbps/768mpbs DSL, with a data cap!) And there's fiber in the street.
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torrents are bad, mostly. go DDL route until that bastion is over and done for.
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Cox Cable Is Monitoring Downloads - what a bunch of dicks.
Sorry, couldnt resist the terrible pun.
What the others said is pretty much accurate though. With the right system in place, it is impossible to hide that you are torrenting because of the pattern. I have no experience myself on this matter, but usually they only go after uploaders. Check the settings of the programs you are usign to torrent, they usually make you seed stuff by default(since torrent won't really work if everyone leeches but noone seeds). This is crucial, because uploading can result in a lawsuit which downloading never does as far as I know.
In case you surely never seeded, I don't know how much scope there is in your law, only that it is pretty bad for you in this regard, if said pattern is enough evidence, you are screwed(which I don't believe, since it could be legal stuff that you torrented, but again, what's been on the media about your internet-laws seemed pretty ugly).
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Winning the lawsuit is irrelevant. Getting dragged into court is more than enough punishment unless you enjoy legal fights and have deep pockets to defend.
Google "Prenda Law" and see what kind of douchebaggery can happen.
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EPT
