The EFF released the alpha version of an open source tool to test for interference on an ISP network. In other words, it is a no-cost way to check if your ISP’s throttling your BitTorrent downloads.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation or EFF made the announcement in a release on the site, citing it as a tool that ‘empowers Internet users on eve of FCC Comcast action’.

"Until now, there hasn’t been a reliable way to tell if somebody — a hacker, an ISP, corporate firewall, or the Great Firewall of China — is modifying your Internet traffic en route," said Peter Eckersley, EFF Staff Technologist and designer of Switzerland.

The Switzerland tool is available on SourceForge, but is still in alpha. That means that novices might not have much use for the tool as yet, but more advanced users can and probably should download the tool to see if it can measure up to EFF’s claims. EFF’s description of SourceForge is succinct:

Switzerland is a tool for testing networks, ISPs and firewalls developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation (www.eff.org). It will spot IP packets which are forged or modified between clients, inform you, and give you copies of the modified packets.

"The few tests available have been for narrow and specific kinds of interference, or have required tremendous amounts of advanced forensic labor. Switzerland is designed to make general-purpose ISP testing faster and easier," said Eckersley.

Switzerland is just part of what EFF calls its “Test your ISP” project. Its goal is to ensure Internet users are equipped to recognize when ISPs engage in interference or protocol discrimination.

ISPs and telcos are putting pressure on the FCC at the moment over Net Neutrality, insisting that the body should stop attempting to ‘regulate the Internet’. Their view is not something shared by Google’s Vinton Cerf. Cerf’s take on Net Neutrality:”It’s ironic that strong regulation needs to be in place to ensure the Net remains free.” Will market forces prevail over consumer consciousness? Only time, and perhaps the FCC, will tell.

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Entry was posted on Sunday, August 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 pm under Internet, Open source.

Read more entries by Erna Mahyuni.
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