If CEO's went back to school.

Throughout this past week if you keep up with technical news Comcast has taken the spotlight. They have been accused of traffic shaping, which simply put means certain data going through their network is given more importance then other data. The other data that I'm referring to is BitTorrent data.

BitTorrent is a protocol used in P2P networks. Data that is shared using this protocol tends to be music, picture, OS, and video files but it could represent any type of file. Generally when one thinks of BitTorrent the idea of illegal music and video downloading appears. Obviously that is an unfounded accusation because a protocol is a set of rules and who chooses to use it does not define the protocol itself.

Comcast is getting itself into a definite quagmire as what they are doing not only goes against their ToS (terms of service) but also is illegal in a few states. The process involved in shaping the traffic requires them to pretend they are the server requested by the end user. Obviously none of us would like Comcast to inspect the data we are sending via their Internet connection and would definitely not want them to pretend they are the servers we are trying to communicate with.

The benefit we can all receive from this giant communication company's blunder is to use it as an example when teaching ethics to our children and students. The importance of honesty, straight-forwardness and character that is developed by treating everyone with equality. It seems some of the executives at Comcast missed this important ethics lesson. As our children and students are the future CEO's and leaders it is important that we take every opportunity to show them how to lead ethical and moral lives. Current events is a great topic to start this conversation at the dinner table.

To read more about the current Comcast situation follow the link: http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20071023-comcast-shooting-itself-in-the-foot-with-traffic-shaping-explanations.html