[ NNSquad ] Re: Google Hijacked -- Major ISP to Intercept and Modify Web Pages

[Sean Donelan <sean@donelan.com>]

On Sat, 8 Dec 2007, Lauren Weinstein wrote:
>       Google Hijacked -- Major ISP to Intercept and Modify Web Pages
>
> 		http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000337.html
>
>     [ Due to highly relevant screen capture content, please see the link
>       above to read this item.  Thanks! ]

Its probably only fair to also report on Google's "Safer Searching" 
program which inserts warning popup messages before forwarding users to 
particular web sites <http://www.stopbadware.org/>

Claiming Google only has two choices, either providing no information
at all to retain its liability protection or being responsible for
all illegal and bad stuff it indexes is a bit of a strawman choice.

Unlike the postal system and the telephone system which have developed 
many ways to add additional information, the Internet is severly lacking. 
The post office adds stamp to letters with all sorts of messages about 
postage due, return to sender, disaster area - no forwarding address, 
and even cute "advertising-like" cancellations.  The telephone system has 
multiple types of busy signals and special information messages about all 
circuits are busy, line restricted to only emergency calls, due to an 
earthquake in the area please wait and try your call later.

It would be great if folks would come up with better ways for applications
to pass along additional information to the user from different layers of 
the communications.

Yes, Rogers could simply cut-off the user's Internet access when their
account balance reaches $0.00 without any warning or information about
what happened.  That might satisfy some network-neutrality folks, but
may be annoying for ordinary users trying to figure out why their
Internet "broke."

Instead of just throwing away letters without the right postage, or 
dropping your pay telephone call when you forget to deposit enough money, 
it may be preferrable to modify the letter using a postage due stamp or 
interrupt the telephone call with a message from the operator to please 
deposit additional money to continue the call.

How should ISPs communicate those types of messages to users, when the 
Internet protocols and applications haven't yet evolved to provide a way?