topic Re: website blocking in Plusnet Feedback

website blocking

Tracer — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 02:44:25 GMT

So today i was just looking at some stuff and found out megashare has been blocked along with piratebay.
I know what people are thinking and in general I agree but it a slippery slope PN is on.
I've been with PN for over 10 years and it's been great, then BT bought them and they have become BT's lackeys blocking everything that even remotely glances the courts.
Suddenly i feel like i'm in China.
Now i am tech savvy and know how to get around it so it's no big deal for me but even a novice user could bypass it.
Look around there are pc advisors out there telling people how to get around uk blocks!.
So what is the point ?
To quote my favourite film . You can't stop the signal.
Will you try and censor the entire internet when the MPAA and FACT wave a court order in your general direction ?
Lets just hope no more inocent charity websites get blocked when this nanny state trys to block everything.
And please don't insult my intelligence by saying no websites are blocked.
Anyway i'm off to download a film and look for another ISP.
toodles.

Re: website blocking

avatastic — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 05:59:56 GMT

Oh Plusnet don't block anything other than what is on the IWF blacklist.
BT Wholesale seem to be blocking TPB and others but that is "outside of Plusnet's control" as it's something their transit peers block and not something they do themselves.
The fact they refuse to transit the requests over other networks is a also why I'm looking elsewhere.

Re: website blocking

Tracer — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 08:31:22 GMT

I guess you havn't read this then
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/22/plusnet_network_filter_to_block_pirate_sites_censor_access/

Re: website blocking

dvorak — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 10:18:15 GMT

That's different, as it can be switched off

Re: website blocking

ejs — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 10:57:17 GMT

It also says Plusnet are blocking sites mostly used to facilitate copyright infringing downloads by using BT peering.

Re: website blocking

AndyH — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 12:46:55 GMT

Where does it say that?

Re: website blocking

pengyou — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 13:22:03 GMT

It says so in the third paragraph:

Quote
Plusnet currently hooks into BT's Peering platform. A company spokesman explained to El Reg:
Our use of the BT platform results in users being blocked from accessing websites engaged in online copyright infringement when BT has been ordered by a court to do so.
Plusnet is in the process of launching a more comprehensive blocking solution that means Plusnet will block all websites engaged in online copyright infringement where ordered by a court to do so.

Re: website blocking

TORPC — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 13:27:42 GMT

From http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/01/22/plusnet_network_filter_to_block_pirate_sites_censor_access/
2^nd Paragraph

Quote
The Sheffield-based ISP, which is owned by telecoms giant BT, confirmed to us that its censorship tool and copyright-infringement blocking mechanism would be applied to its network at some point this year.

Quote
Plusnet will block all websites engaged in online copyright infringement where ordered by a court to do so.

I fear that this thread may be use for some
& speed reading is not a forte for others

Re: website blocking

Tracer — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 15:17:50 GMT

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2014/03/uk-court-orders-big-isps-block-megashare-viooz-watch32-zmovie.html
For those intrested piratebay,EZTV,megashare etc who are blocked already have proxies and mirror sites.

Re: website blocking

AndyH — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 15:23:30 GMT

Quote from: ejs
It also says Plusnet are blocking sites mostly used to facilitate copyright infringing downloads by using BT peering.

But it doesn't say this.
Plusnet are growing and it is almost inevitable that if they continue to attract new customers, they will be included in court orders. In order to comply with any potential court orders, Plusnet needs some kind of mechanism to block the sites ordered by the court.

Re: website blocking

Tracer — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 15:35:48 GMT

Yeah Andy it's not working like that.
PN are owned by BT so if BT get a court order they tell PN to jump and PN ask how high.
Soon they will be monitering and sending notices to user with large fines IF BT so feels inclined.

Re: website blocking

ejs — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 16:03:06 GMT

It's hardly surprising these kinds of sites get shut down or blocked. What I find strange is that people act as if they have a right to get whatever they want for free, perhaps people have got used to getting away with it for so long. Complaining about attempts to stop copyright infringing downloads just seems a bit much really.
And I expect everything we do on the Internet has all been monitored and recorded for years.

Re: website blocking

billnotben — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 20:03:22 GMT

I think the point being made is that a lot of content on so called pirate sites is perfectly legal to download.
The question really is how long before respectable sites are blocked and shut down because a single item of questionable content has slipped in.
Or the reality that the site isn't towing the party line.
We seem to be moving away from the EU in the direction of China.
It's all about regulation.
Regulation is just government speak for control.

Re: website blocking

AndyH — Sun, 30 Mar 2014 20:05:10 GMT

Quote from: Tracer
PN are owned by BT so if BT get a court order they tell PN to jump and PN ask how high.

They can't and don't do that. It would be illegal.

Re: website blocking

Tracer — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 09:48:04 GMT

Quote from: billnotben

The question really is how long before respectable sites are blocked and shut down because a single item of questionable content has slipped in.

That has already happend on several occasions.
Charitys have been blocked.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-25962555
JQuery gets blocked by SKY.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/28/sky-broadband-blocks-jquery-web-critical-plugin
League of Legends updater gets block because it has the word s,e,x in it.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/21/uk-porn-filter-blocks-game-update-that-contained-sex
And those are just recent ones.

Re: website blocking

Tracer — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 09:52:24 GMT

I'll just leave this here.
https://www.openrightsgroup.org/about/

Re: website blocking

Kelly — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 09:53:59 GMT

Quote from: Tracer
League of Legends updater gets block because it has the word s,e,x in it.
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jan/21/uk-porn-filter-blocks-game-update-that-contained-sex

I think that turned out to be a red herring and not to do with a word filter. If you've seen more info on it, chuck it over though.

Re: website blocking

deathtrap — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 17:01:20 GMT

Well if this firewall of china cough uk is going to become more common place then i will be seeking an ISP who provides access to the internet the full internet not some walled garden , like BT, SKY & Stalk Talk provide,

Re: website blocking

x47c — Mon, 31 Mar 2014 21:27:58 GMT

The world is changing....and the internet with it.
So far it has been open season on the web - and as is usual with everything the minority spoil it for the majority.
Just about everyone is fed up with the twitter trolls, the hate sites, the conspiracy theorists, the ranters, the purveyors of filth and the rest.
Then there are the idiots and halfwits who in previous generations would be in the corner of a pub spouting off their drivel and ignored by everyone - now they are on the web.
..and I haven't mention those who believe they are entitled in some way to free copies of just about every copyright item on the planet...and who seem to think the world revolves around what they want ----err no it doesn't.
There are those who will make claims they want freedom for information to flow on the web: yeah I'll bet - they presumably fall into the same category as those who demanded the freedom to hammer though a local road at 60mph when my council opened a consultation on reducing the limit to 40mph (it was adopted)....it really was quite extraordinary reading some of the justifications as to why the limit should remain as it was.
30 years ago - speeding was acceptable, drink driving happened, and limits we treated as advisory rather than mandatory. Now we have speed cameras etc and the next stage will be continuous monitoring by GPS recording black boxes in our cars.
So in due course too the internet will become restricted just like our driving has become restricted.
Perhaps VPN's will only be permitted for those on business tariffs, who knows what will happen next!
.......and the fault will be entirely due to those who abused the original freedom of the web.

Re: website blocking

billnotben — Tue, 01 Apr 2014 09:37:10 GMT

Quote from: x47c
......and the fault will be entirely due to those who abused the original freedom of the web

Or failed to question local MP's on their policies instead of just voting on party lines.