Re: Testing Your Internet Connection for ISP DNS Diversions

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Christian Huitema [huitema () windows microsoft com]
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 12:36 PM
To: Lauren Weinstein
Cc: David Farber
Subject: RE: Testing Your Internet Connection for ISP DNS Diversions

Lauren,

The instructions regarding windows on your web site are slightly incorrect. You wrote "In Windows (to run nslookup) you 
will need to first reach a command prompt window with START->Run, then enter the word "command" (without the quotes) 
and click OK." There are a few issues with that:
1) The "Run" option does not show up by default on the Vista start menu. It was taken off because the vast majority of 
"unsophisticated" users never use it. There are three workarounds:
* You can get to that command line just the same way you launch other program through "start". On Vista, that would be 
"start", then "all programs", then "accessories", and select the "command prompt" program.
* You can go right click on the start menu, get to its properties, choose to "customize" and tick the box in from of 
"run command".
* Or you can, instead of start, simultaneously hit the "windows" and "R" keys to show the prompt for a command.
2) The name of the executable file is "cmd.exe" on Vista and XP; in the "run" windows, you should type "cmd", not 
"command".
3) But you do not actually need to type "cmd" in that menu, you can just as well type "nslookup" directly.

All that is probably too long for your page, so I suggest you change your instructions to simply state: "In Windows (to 
run nslookup) you will need to first reach a command prompt window by typing "R" while the "windows" key is depressed, 
then enter the word "nslookup" (without the quotes) and click OK."

-- Christian Huitema



-----Original Message-----
From: David Farber [mailto:dave () farber net]
Sent: Monday, March 17, 2008 4:02 AM
To: ip
Subject: [IP] Testing Your Internet Connection for ISP DNS Diversions


________________________________________
From: Lauren Weinstein [lauren () vortex com]
Sent: Sunday, March 16, 2008 10:17 PM
To: David Farber
Cc: lauren () vortex com
Subject: Testing Your Internet Connection for ISP DNS Diversions

             Testing Your Internet Connection for ISP DNS Diversions

                   http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000377.html


Greetings. Over at the Network Neutrality Squad, the issue of ISPs
intercepting and/or diverting DNS (Domain Name Service) lookups has
recently risen to the surface. Some tests that you can perform to
investigate this for yourself on your ISP are described below.

Increasingly, ISPs have been attempting to monetize users' Web
browsing in various ways, and steering them to ISP-partnered search
engines in cases of mistyped domain names and the like is just one
example of this activity.

There is a great deal of variation in how this is accomplished;
whether or not effective opt-outs are available; and how forthright,
opaque, or simply confused ISPs' tech support pages and people may
be regarding this matter.

Beyond the issue of shunting users to search engines of the ISPs'
own choosing, diversion of DNS requests can have significant
negative impacts on various applications, especially non-browsing
(non-http) applications.

  [ ... ]

  [ Due to their length and detail, the full information and links
    for the test procedures and accompanying explanations are
    omitted here.  Please see the complete write-up at:

    http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000377.html

    Thanks! ]

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
   - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
   - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com

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