FSF releases network neutrality testing tool

Timed to coincide with the FCC's decision against Comcast over network netutrality, the Free Software Foundation has released a tool that can test your ISP for violations.

From fsf.org:

"The sad truth is that the FCC is ill-equipped to detect ISPs interfering with your Internet connection," said Fred von Lohmann, EFF Senior Intellectual Property Attorney. "It's up to concerned Internet users to investigate possible network neutrality violations, and EFF's Switzerland software is designed to help with that effort. Comcast isn't the first, and certainly won't be the last, ISP to meddle surreptitiously with its subscribers' Internet communications for its own benefit."

"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 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." [From EFF Releases "Switzerland" ISP Testing Tool - eff.org]

It looks like deniability may become a thing of the past, in which case the FCC might have it's hands full in the forseeacble future. Perhaps some still fines would serve as a better deterrant then a slap on the wrist ...