Cisco decides to snoop on users2010-04-02 10:07 by DanielaTags: Cisco, PC Pulse, traffic monitor
Router manifacturer Cisco took the chance to snoop on networks by releasing what, at a glance, looks like a relatively mundane bandwidth usage monitor. The application, part of the firm's Visual Network Index PC Pulse project, aims to provide users and more importantly, Cisco with a greater knowledge of network trends and a "granular understanding". The client, still in beta, is only available for Windows Vista or XP. Cisco is saying that its application would help garner the user a better understanding of what is using the available bandwidth. Categories such as video, web traffic and so on should in theory allow you to see what's taking up your measly DSL connection. These categories might not be wholly accurate, as smart users can tunnel traffic through various VPNs to mask usage patterns and avoid firewalls and locality restrictions. The firm is acutely aware that users aren't going to be best pleased at sending their data to some corporate behemoth to look over, so it tries to cover up its tracks by saying that none of the data collected is personally identifiable. It also mentions that the application does not store file names or web history. However Cisco has already started putting very general and anonymous data on its website. Read more -here-
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