Comments on: Canadian file sharing decision http://www.p2pnet.net/story/5025 p2pnet.net - reader powered Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:05:34 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Reader's Write http://www.p2pnet.net/story/5025/comment-page-1#comment-14613 Reader's Write Thu, 02 Jun 2005 19:56:01 +0000 #comment-14613 This can all be obviated by ISPs having the policy of irretrieveably deleting their logs on a rolling X hour basis, based on whatever they might need to isolate and troubleshoot network and equipment issues. Most ISPs are 'all you can eat', so there is absolutely no reason for keeping detailed usage records for billing purposes. Most situations involving 'problem customers' (bandwidth hogs, spammers, scammers, scanners, phishers, etc) can be handled in near real time through proper network monitoring. "Hmm, 267,834 e-mails went out of port 25 of IP w.x.y.z in the past 5 minutes. That's not right...." I'm not certain what the regulations might be in Canada, but there is absolutely no requirement that an ISP keep any kind of usage records whatsoever, nor can they be compelled to start keeping records they don't ordinarily create and keep in a civil law situation. The only records they need to keep are business records so they can properly report their income for tax purposes, employee records, and SEC required records if they are publically traded. The mapping of an IP to a specific customer at a specific time is way outside the scope of this. This can all be obviated by ISPs having the policy of irretrieveably deleting their logs on a rolling X hour basis, based on whatever they might need to isolate and troubleshoot network and equipment issues. Most ISPs are ‘all you can eat’, so there is absolutely no reason for keeping detailed usage records for billing purposes.

Most situations involving ‘problem customers’ (bandwidth hogs, spammers, scammers, scanners, phishers, etc) can be handled in near real time through proper network monitoring. “Hmm, 267,834 e-mails went out of port 25 of IP w.x.y.z in the past 5 minutes. That’s not right….”

I’m not certain what the regulations might be in Canada, but there is absolutely no requirement that an ISP keep any kind of usage records whatsoever, nor can they be compelled to start keeping records they don’t ordinarily create and keep in a civil law situation. The only records they need to keep are business records so they can properly report their income for tax purposes, employee records, and SEC required records if they are publically traded. The mapping of an IP to a specific customer at a specific time is way outside the scope of this.

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