Nobody Actually Knows Precise P2P Traffic Stats - Maybe we should before we continue fighting about it....Maybe we should before we continue fighting about it.... (old news - 09:13AM Wednesday May 07 2008) tags: Fileswapping · business · bandwidth · stats · networking Wired News discusses how encryption and the use of random ports makes actually tracking which protocols eat up network traffic a virtually impossible task. While independent research firms issue reports all over the map (P2P is either a raging menace or easily manageable depending who you ask), the only people who really know are the ISPs and middle-carriers, who don't share raw data. Wired's Ryan Singel wonders if we should have better data before making landmark decisions on network neutrality, caps or throttling. We would love to know if good measurements of P2P traffic are out there or if, indeed, the debate over net neutrality is taking place without the slightest bit of verifiable data. No worries, ignoring science and data is the new black; the FCC has been shaping broadband policy for years now without actually knowing anything about the broadband networks they regulate.
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said by TFA :Of course they are not telling. If they did then their argument for throttling P2P would collapse. Now that would be very "telling" ;)
How much of the traffic on the internet is peer-to-peer file trading? Everyone seems to agree it represents a lot of the traffic, but the truth is no one knows (with the possible exception of the ISPs and backbone providers in the middle, and they aren't telling or sharing raw data).