AT&T Owns Your Internet
Posted on July 27, 2009
Filed Under Politics | 1 Comment
Not that anyone really should ever go there, but this weekend many AT&T customers had problems accessing 4chan.org, the forum like site where kids of all ages post endlessly in one of the worst forum interfaces ever. The problem was that it wouldn’t work because AT&T blocked the website due to what it called a “threat“.
Beginning Friday, an AT&T customer was impacted by a denial-of-service attack stemming from IP addresses connected to img.4chan.org. To prevent this attack from disrupting service for the impacted AT&T customer, and to prevent the attack from spreading to impact our other customers, AT&T temporarily blocked access to the IP addresses in question for our customers. This action was in no way related to the content at img.4chan.org; our focus was on protecting our customers from malicious traffic.
They can and will take down any website they see a ‘threat’ (although we’ll never really find out who ‘they’ is), if this really was a DDOS why not post up the IP addresses responsible (especially if they’re just img servers)? I’ve never heard of any ISP ever blocking a single website to prevent a DDOS, what if it wasn’t a DDOS and it was just network congestion (AT&T never upgrades their equipment)? AT&T has been known to be in favor of “tiered” internet where they would force us to pay extra for websites not built into a predetermined ‘package’ just like that TV box that only allows you to access specific channels. 4chan.org certainly wouldn’t pay a dime to AT&T and they want to flex their strength and prove they can block them at will. It’s internet warfare and each side will obviously come out and say the other one started first.
AT&T monitors all our phone and internet communications without any due process of the law (and many believe breaking the law to do so), 4chan.org members are anonymous and stand firm that the web can still be an anonymous place for people to share ideas in. It’s a clash of ideologies and it would seem AT&T is on the losing end, caving into public pressure to get the site accessible once again from their service. I may not agree with most of what’s posted on 4chan.org and find it quite the worst waste of time but I’d fight for anyone’s right to access and participate in their discussions without any degradation of service. I understand AT&T wanting to protect their property and they should be more than allowed to take steps necessary to ensure their machines don’t overheat (as DDOS’s are famous for) but I don’t feel like they’re taking any actions against the attackers. If img.4chan.org is compromised and is a real serious threat why bring it back at all (although considering the public pressure it would be hard not to even if it was a threat)? It makes me feel like there wasn’t a threat at all, AT&T has never given me a reason to trust them, in fact all evidence points to AT&T ripping off all their customers, next time I use my blackberry I’m going to put on a tin foil hat, maybe then I’ll get a better 4chan signal.
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One Response to “AT&T Owns Your Internet”
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And once again, it NEVER fails with the incessant lying, as lying is a way of life for these hacker creeps. I salute AT&T for blocking viruses, trojans and nasty spider scripts, as that is what the REAL truth is as to WHY AT&T has flashed the middle finger [blocked] to 4 Chan. Why should AT&T waste time and energy in dealing with viruses, trojans and uncontrollable script programs emanating from the 4 Chan site?
I don’t condone censorship and I certainly don’t condone lies “in the name of lulz”. The only thing 4 Chan has proven again and again, is that they are infantile and violent. A bunch of two year olds who go on tirades. And just like an out of control two year old, they need some REAL hard slaps from the school of hard knocks.
Any consequences or denial of internet access to AT&T customers due to NAZI actions emanating from 4 Chan [or any other hacker creeps for that matter], I pray that they are caught, rounded up, prosecuted beyond the extent of the law, thrown in a windowless cell and locked up forever until the day they die.
I commend AT&T for taking the step forward and I sincerely hope that other ISP’S follow suit ASAP. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. Hackers cause destruction, chaos, waste everyones time and energy. Normal people on the net are SICK AND TIRED of these two year old tantrum antics that 4 Chan displays on a daily basis. These hacker creeps really and truly need to GROW THE F*** UP.