Deep Packet Inspection tech is spreading fast
DPI isn’t coming to the United States. It’s already here. In fact, it’s everywhere. And it’s growing.
IHS predicts that the global DPI market to grow to $972 million dollars in 2015. This is a 15 percent increase from the last year. ISPs and communication service providers are using DPI as a tool for bandwidth management and creation of new services and features.
In many ways, deep packet inspection is the bane of internet freedom. Governments in censored countries like China use DPI techniques to monitor traffic. DPI is very comprehensive, and it automates the process of keep track of what users are doing and they data they process when they do it. Each bit of information that you send and receive comes in the form of data packets. These packets are sent around and through routers that read the labels on the packet, determine what they are, who they are from, and where they are going. DPI works by ISPs inspecting packets that they receive. Each packet is scanned, logged, and then either blocked or routed to it’s destination. In the case of China, it blocks content based on the packet.
It’s a huge problem right now in China. It’s given birth to the second great wall, the “great firewall” that prohibits Chinese citizens from accessing very popular sites like Facebook, Twitter, Youtube, and even Google. By maintaining control over these sites, the government can censor free speech, and route public opinion more efficiently. They can also control what content they deem fit for their citizens, and how they want to influence their opinion. In some ways, the content that is left for people to consume can even be considered as propaganda, if only indirectly.
While censorship and unnecessary restriction is the main problem in China, the United States has ISPs that have the power to inspect our data as well through DPI. We wrote about At&t doing it, and with Comcast injecting code into browsers, one can one without a doubt assume that US based ISP’s can and most likely will continue to use similar techniques used in China but for different reasons–whether that means marketing, or reading our data to make decisions on how to make more money.
It’s an unsettling thought that consumers don’t have choices when it comes to how their data is handled, or stored unless they directly take action through a VPN like TorGuard. There isn’t much choice involved at all. Either protect yourself, or your data is someone else’s. Do you trust Comcast with your data? Giving away valuable data has proven extremely detrimental before, with massive security breaches at Target and other major companies leaking tons of information that have given identity thieves new virtual playgrounds.
We mentioned a choice. We didn’t mention how great of a choice, however. TorGuard VPN offers the highest quality of encryption available that works perfectly for hiding your data, your source, and even your connection to the VPN itself through Stealth VPN and our new Stealth Proxy feature. Our Stealth features work together to make your VPN invisible and your security unstoppable. Bye bye, DPI!
