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Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

forums.xfinity.com

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Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#321

Could this legally be construed as creating a derivative work under copyright law? As a site owner, could I prosecute Comcast for infringing on my rights by altering the content of my pages?

That was my first thought - the web page is copyrighted code.

Unfortunately, expect to see more of this happening with the useful idiot Pai running the FCC.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#322

J. Livingood (a Comcast VP) responded to the OP: > [JL] We are not trying to sell you a new one. If you own your modem we're informing you that it is either end of life (EOL) or that you are about to get a speed upgrade that the modem will be unable to deliver. Incidentally, Livingood is a co-author of IETF RFC 6108, which he has conveniently linked. From the RFC's general requirements numero uno: > R3.1.1. Must Only…

I don't care of it's critical or not, I don't care what the issue is, a carrier should not inject code into a webpage it serves, PERIOD. I didn't knowingly opt into this, and I don't have a feasible alternative where I live. This should NOT be allowed, it's a security and privacy risk, and who knows what that JavaScript is actually doing or what vulnerabilities it opens up for malicious advertisers whose scripts are also on the page.

This should be ILLEGAL, I don't give a crap about "getting the government out of our lives", well guess what, they need to step in and prevent these slimy "business" practices from happening or punish the corporations trying to exploit their captive audience.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#323

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Then why do Americans in large urban centers not have greater choice of ISPs? If it's all about physical distance, why is there still no competition in dense areas? I live in Washington DC, in the city, and I only really have one choice where I live, Comcast.

Cities grant franchise rights and determine rates charged for access to city poles and cable vaults.

Let's not sugar coat the language by referring to them as franchise rights, they're state-sanctioned monopolies.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#324

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're wildly OT, I suggest Wikipedia.

Huh? Not even close to wildly OT. The RFC was mentioned above.

"What is a RFC?", "What happens to the comments?", OK a specific RFC is the topic but it's like asking "What is the internet?". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Request_for_Comments is much more appropriate resource for that level of question IMO.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You were able to switch in 5 minutes because nothing actually changed except who sent you the bill. In the US this isn't possible because whoever owns the physical wire/fiber into your place gets to bill you, exclusively.

Yes, there is one cable and everyone has to share it, by law. I thought that AT&T was split once in the past to differentiate backbone and service providers - why not in the case of fiber?

>I thought that AT&T was split once in the past to differentiate backbone and service providers - why not in the case of fiber?

So called unbundling was done, but in exchange, the backbone provider got a legal monopoly. Almost everywhere AT&T or Verizon lies fiber has competition, usually with a local cable company.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#326

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Huh? Not even close to wildly OT. The RFC was mentioned above.

"What is a RFC?", "What happens to the comments?", OK a specific RFC is the topic but it's like asking "What is the internet?". https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Request_for_Comments is much more appropriate resource for that level of question IMO.

Right, ok so we're in a discussion about what "wildly" means :). Imo the rfc was mentioned, so a simple link to the wiki article would have been a polite reply.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#327
post #292

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you're rewording something someone else said, even if you're keeping it very close to the original words, don't use quotation marks. Quotes say "this is literally what was said". I got bit by this a bunch when I first got on HN; it was surprising to me how seriously it was taken. But it is, and it's not hard to work around.

That's a weird HN-ism, though, not how writing or paraphrasing works anywhere else. The goal is understandable and laudable but 'redefining the meaning of quotes' is a thing only hardcore lispers can love.

This is not an "HN-ism". It is not proper to use quotation marks when paraphrasing. Doing so is explicitly attributing words to someone that they did not say.

> not how writing or paraphrasing works anywhere else

That's simply false. If you want to use Reddit et al as your standard reference on the use of language and punctuation, have at it. But you can't reasonably expect every other forum to use that lowest common denominator. Railing against simple, longstanding house rules like this is just pointless contrarianism.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#328

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Why traffic injection instead of mail pieces? I mean, I open all of mine, even the 75%+ that are upsells I don't want, on the off chance one of them will tell me something I need to know. Lots of reasons, including years of experience with response rates for particular types of messages / calls to action. Clearly one particular communications channel won't work for everyone - each person has their own preferences.…

People don't want your crap injected into their pages and working with the IETF aint gonna change that. The fact that Comcast has and abuses its monopoly is bad enough. That you would try to standardize your abusive behavior is appaling.

And then there's this guy. I suppose someone has to be.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#329

I'm annoyed by this on several levels. The biggest issue is that I'm using an Arris SB 6121 and I'm getting notifications that my modem is EOL. However, the SB6121 is listed as a supported modem for my speed level on their supported modems page. If I go to their supported modem page, I literally get a page where my current modem is shown as not supported, and the exact same modem is shown next to it as "supported." I…

There is a reason they are doing this. After signing up for Xfinity I noticed that the modem we were leasing was broadcasting a public access point with no way to disable it. I purchased my own modem immediately. Then some time later they rolled out their mobile services, which you guessed it, rely’s on those open access points and Sprint as a fall-back. So now customers are paying monthly to host Xfinity mobile serv…

As far as I am aware, it is possible to disable the public 'xfinitywifi' hotspot on all Comcast modems which provide this feature (I had a stint as a TSR relatively recently). Further, I believe this is a user-configurable setting on all CC modems. I personally have this feature disabled on my Arris 1682G, and this should be their most common model in most regions.

Re: Comcast is injecting 400+ lines of JavaScript into web pages

#330

Earlier quoted context omitted.

People don't want your crap injected into their pages and working with the IETF aint gonna change that. The fact that Comcast has and abuses its monopoly is bad enough. That you would try to standardize your abusive behavior is appaling.

And then there's this guy. I suppose someone has to be.

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