Hi all, My doctoral research focuses on the politics of DPI, with attention spent to how the technology operates as a nexus for a host of competing political interests. I've just made available the first chapter, which outlines the 'lineage' of packet inspection devices as well as the use cases of DPI. It's written to explain to social scientists (a) what the technology is; (b) why it's significant. Analysis and argumentative facets of the dissertation come later, in chapters six and seven, and thus are significantly absent in this chapter. I thought that it might be of interest to members on the list. Comments and feedback are welcomed.
Summary: This chapter traces the lineage of contemporary packet inspection systems that monitor data traffic flowing across the Internet in real time. After discussing how shallow, medium, and deep packet inspection systems function, I outline the significance of this technology’s most recent iteration, deep packet inspection, and how it could be used to fulfill technical, economic, and political goals. Achieving these goals, however, requires that deep packet inspection be regarded as a surveillance practice. Indeed, deep packet inspection is, at its core, a surveillance-based technology that is used by private actors, such as Internet service providers, to monitor and mediate citizens’ communications. Given the importance of Internet-based communications to every facet of Western society, from personal communications, to economic, cultural and political exchanges, deep packet inspection must be evaluated not just in the abstract but with attention towards how society shapes its deployment and how it may shape society. Link: http://www.christopher-parsons.com/blog/technology/draft-deep-packet-inspection-and-its-predecessors/ Cheers, Chris -- ****************************************** Christopher Parsons Doctoral Candidate Political Science, University of Victoria http://www.christopher-parsons.com ****************************************** -- Unsubscribe, change to digest, or change password at: https://mailman.stanford.edu/mailman/listinfo/liberationtech
