Cisco rolls out Anti-Porn firmware

[mlee49]

Cisco recently released a new firmware for their wireless router devices that forces users to bypass the standard Admin login to a "Cloud based" login which enforces several interesting clauses.

My take is Cisco released this firmware in efforts to be more 'cloud-like' with intnetions of accessing your home router from any computer(possibly smart phone). Sounds grand, but to use this feature you have to agree to the following terms of coniditons:


http://ciscoconnectcloud.com/ui/ustatic/termsofservice/1.0.0/termsofservice-en-US.html

You agree not to use or permit the use of the Service: (i) to invade another's privacy; (ii) for obscene, pornographic, or offensive purposes; (iii) to infringe another's rights, including but not limited to any intellectual property rights; (iv) to upload, email or otherwise transmit or make available any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, spam, junk mail or any other form of solicitation; (v) to transmit or otherwise make available any code or virus, or perform any activity, that could harm or interfere with any device, software, network or service (including this Service); or (vi) to violate, or encourage any conduct that would violate any applicable law or regulation or give rise to civil or criminal liability.

While we are not responsible for any content or data that you choose to access or otherwise use in connection with the Service, we reserve the right to take such action as we (i) deem necessary or (ii) are otherwise required to take by a third party or court of competent jurisdiction, in each case in relation to your access or use or misuse of such content or data. Such action may include, without limitation, discontinuing your use of the Service immediately without prior notice to you, and without refund or compensation to you.

Now, how would Cisco know if your using your device for any of these services? Routers dont send information back to the manufacturer, do they? Would you consider this an invasion of privacy if your router logged your internet history and sent it off to the manufacturer?

Oh, and if you do look at porn too much, it's possible your new Cisco router may brick itself:

http://www.neowin.net/news/cisco-locks-users-out-of-their-routers-requires-invasive-cloud-service

Wow Cisco, just wow.

source:

http://arstechnica.com/information-...ciscos-anti-porn-pro-copyright-cloud-service/

 

[HossHuge]

Now, how would Cisco know if your using your device for any of these services? Routers dont send information back to the manufacturer, do they? Would you consider this an invasion of privacy if your router logged your internet history and sent it off to the manufacturer?

Good question.

Porn's not illegal is it?

 

[brandonwh64]

WOW I would be OK with just a warning or a way to turn this warning off but bricking itself if accessed so many times? This is censorship at its worst. I can see company's installing a firmware that would protect you or your family from such things but breaking if its accessed to much is a shame and should not be tolerated.

 

[FordGT90Concept]

Glad I always avoided Cisco products.

Porn's not illegal is it?

Nope, unless it's of a minor.

 

[Kreij]

Good question.

Porn's not illegal is it?

Nope, unless it's of a minor.

That's in the U.S. Pornography is illegal in quite a few countries.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pornography_by_region

 

[entropy13]

Good thing my Linksys router is very old! LOL It's "latest" firmware is from 2005.

 

[TheMailMan78]

Am I the only one who doesn't care anymore? Special interest own government and control is the name of the game. I can't even live my life anymore without having to pay a tax for being alive. If I don't pay I go to jail. All my personal freedoms have been stripped away. Next Ill be mandated to eat government food and drive government cars and live in government houses. If I don't Ill be taxed. If I don't pay Ill go to jail. Why should I give a flying F#@K what Cisco does with their firmware.

 

[repman244]

Why should I give a flying F#@K what Cisco does with their firmware.

Because it's a step closer to what you just described

 

[TheMailMan78]

Because it's a step closer to what you just described

This is why I am voting for everything and everyone who will do it. I want people to become so opposed and broke they have to get government approval to tie their own shoes before they go to their government mandated jobs. Maybe THEN people will wake the hell up and put down their iPads.

OBAMA 2012 and beyond! Cisco routers for all!

 

[Frick]

Isn't the cloud service just that, a service you don't have to use? Is the update forced?

EDIT: http://www.extremetech.com/computin...tory-monetized-and-killed-at-their-discretion

Ah, it comes with Automatic Update activated by default. I always look around for that sort of thing when I set up a new router, but yeah it's sneaky.

EDIT again: Whoee bad rep all around.

I mean I'm generally ok with a lot of things but even I think this is just plain ridiculous.

 

[_JP_]

I wonder if this is going to affect my "How to deliver a pizza"/"How to clean a pool"/"Proper etiquette for cable installation technicians" training videos. I hope not.

 

[3design]

We are the anti-porn...

We are the protector...

Not...

 

[remixedcat]

Glad I got a netgear....

 

[jsfitz54]

As a last vestige of rights, vote with your wallet!

 

[KainXS]

so porn will make the router commit suicide?

I love my wrt router, so much so that on day one of having mine I flash them straight to openwrt, no openwrt = no buy(well at least for cisco's routers)

 

[D4S4]

cisco netacad site with pictures of indians, asians and africans give me the shits.

 

[Solaris17]

so buy good hardware specd cisco systems router flash dd-wrt go about your business when the wife is working?

 

[hat]

It seems to me that this Cisco Connect Cloud is all about using their service as a bridge to your own home router, so if you want to connect to your own network with your smartphone while 400 miles away from home, you can... as long as you're comfortable with them watching your traffic and potentially axing your service if they don't like what you're using it for. It doesn't seem like this cloud has anything to do with your own home network. Still, they shouldn't be playing big brother with their customers, whether it's legal or not.

 

[newtekie1]

I'm seeing it the same way Hat does. So don't use the service to watch porn from your home computer on your smartphone and you'll be fine. There is nothing saying it is monitoring your standard browsing habits, or restricting them in any way.

 

[Frick]

The biggest is that the update came automatic for the people who had not disabled the auto update feature and that you had to use Cisco Cloud.

The trouble is that for customers with automatic firmware updates turned on, the traditional (and very useful) router management tools available in a Web browser at the address 192.168.1.1 became completely unavailable. Instead, you had to sign up for Cisco’s cloud service, roll back your firmware, or just forget about using advanced router management features.

and that this got part of Privacy Statement:

When you use the Service, we may keep track of certain information related to your use of the Service, including but not limited to the status and health of your network and networked products; which apps relating to the Service you are using; which features you are using within the Service infrastructure; network traffic (e.g., megabytes per hour); internet history; how frequently you encounter errors on the Service system and other related information (“Other Information”).

THey have backpedaled a bit but I don't know to what extent really. What is/was stupid is that it was rolled out just like that.

 

[AlienIsGOD]

All ur porn are belong to us

 

[Jetster]

Its a set of Apps. you can add to your system. So they are just that optional. quit being so paranoid there not going to give up there share of the market. There just trying to stay ahead of the game. I actually own a E4200 and it is not supported You think about it its kinda cool. It would allow you to control your router from your phone. And it only for Linksys EA-series routers

 

[micropage7]

so
the answer is simple
if you dont agree or dont like them, just avoid using them
cisco some used in big company so if your company router suddenly die, you know the answer

 

[Frick]

Its a set of Apps. you can add to your system. So they are just that optional.

No they weren't. That was the major issue. On the affected routers automatic updates were enabled and when the update was installed you had it even if you didn't want it. And if you wanted to roll it back you had to sign up for the service and go that way.

But as said, they reacted to the backlash. I don't know exactly how it works now, but now you don't have to use it unless you want to.

 

[Jetster]

So your wrong. you don't have to use them. And it only the smart router something you entirely left out. I checked I wouldn't mind installing it but i cant. They dont have it for my E4200 And trust me I'm not going to stop the porn