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from the I-have-no-Skype-and-I-must-scream dept.
Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984
How a phone app detected Sprint's alleged throttling of Skype
The US government killed off its net neutrality rules in June of this year, but that doesn't mean no one is monitoring whether carriers are blocking or throttling online services. Northeastern University researchers led by computer science professor David Choffnes recently determined that Sprint was throttling Skype. Their finding was based on an analysis of user-initiated tests conducted with Wehe, an app for Android and iPhone that the researchers developed to detect throttling. About one-third of the tests detected Sprint's throttling of Skype, Choffnes said.
If the findings are correct, Sprint would be violating a Federal Communications Commission rule requiring Internet providers to disclose throttling. Even though the FCC no longer bans throttling itself, the agency requires ISPs to publicly disclose any blocking, throttling, or paid prioritization. But was Sprint really throttling Skype? Sprint denies it and points out that researchers haven't released the data underlying their conclusions. Choffnes acknowledges that his research has limitations and that he couldn't detect the throttling in the lab. But he's still confident that Skype was getting a raw deal on Sprint's network, and he explained why in an interview with Ars.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Friday November 30 2018, @03:24PM (8 children)
pics or it didn't happen.
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 4, Insightful) by Pslytely Psycho on Friday November 30 2018, @04:05PM (7 children)
I (GASP!) read the article.
It may not have.
His results were inconsistent and may of reflected signal quality or other factors such as overloaded networks.
He admits as much but insists it's throttling. Apparently enough to get a congressional hearing out of it.
Quite a lot for such ambiguous proofs.
Alex Jones lawyer inspires new TV series: CSI Moron Division.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @04:33PM (5 children)
Quite a lot for such ambiguous proofs.
Not unlike Russiagate... All hearsay and conjecture. Seems to be SOP everywhere these days. Idiocracy is quickly taking over.
(Score: -1, Offtopic) by Anonymous Coward on Friday November 30 2018, @09:07PM (2 children)
So if you're proven wrong and Russian collusion did happen then YOU will be the idiot spreading the stupid. By stereotyping you from your response I can safely say you don't have enough spine to admit when you're wrong. Most likely you'll just move on to the next GOP outrage and pretend that your Trump support never happened. "Oh he was a lying asshole, but have you heard what the liberal cucks are doing NOW???"
From the facts we have right now we know there was a coverup for Trump's various Russian connections, a ridiculous number of lies under oath, immoral if not illegal infidelity and payoffs, more lies, Trump publicly asking the Russians to hack Clinton:
The most amusing part here is you use the -gate suffix. You do realize that Watergate was actually a criminal incident?
Anyway, you're a stupid shill is the short version.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Friday November 30 2018, @11:19PM
Even a stopped clock is right twice a day.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 01 2018, @03:22AM
I don't give a shit if there was "collusion". You have to prove that they fucked up the count before you can wake me up. Israeli propaganda is much more offensive if you want to consider that kind of crap. The most the Russians did was to buy some ad time in your mass media. Big fucking deal! And FYI, the DNC bullshit came from an insider, not your Russian tooth fairies, so save your breath! Fucking democrats! I don't care who runs against you, they will get my vote.
(Score: 2, Offtopic) by edIII on Friday November 30 2018, @09:07PM (1 child)
If by hearsay and conjecture, you mean facts and evidence, then yes. Nice little political jab here, but Orange Anus is going down. He does have financial dealings with Russian Oligarchs, and it's no surprise at all to see Manafort and Cohen floundering now.
Of course, the smartest thing we could all do is let Mueller do his job unimpeded, and then review the results of his investigation. Until then, you're just parroting Orange Anus with denials, character attacks, anything, to distract and discredit the ongoing investigation. Which doesn't make you look good, or him look good either.
Technically, lunchtime is at any moment. It's just a wave function.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday December 01 2018, @03:26AM
facts and evidence
Yeah, wake me when you get some. Besides, nothing was done. Clinton lost fair and square. Accept it, or not, I don't care, but those are the only facts in evidence. If you damn democrats want to win, put up somebody worth voting for. We're all tired of the same old shit.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by insanumingenium on Friday November 30 2018, @06:46PM
His results were inconsistent across OS and location and individual users, but a significant number of individuals tests were highly suggestive of throttling.
The direct quotes listed from the article make it clear Choffnes' conclusions are far more reserved than the ones the media are running with.
However there are users with differentiation which wasn't disclosed by the providers, and that is worth investigating. If random data to the exact same destination isn't treated the same as structured data taken from samples of these services that is sent immediately before it, that is a sign that something isn't right. And when it affects a significant number of users on one provider and service combination in particular, the idea that they all just had a bad connection for that half of the test only starts to not be a reasonable conclusion. That doesn't make it malicious, but it does need to get IDed and fixed or disclosed.
The only obvious change to the testing protocol I would recommend (beyond enhanced data collection which is covered in the article) would be to randomize the order of the tests as well as the order of the test and control runs to avoid forming any unnecessary patterns. This may already be the case, but it doesn't appear to be to me.