Deep packet inspection: Its nature and implications

In this essay, prepared for the Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Clarke outlines the technical characteristics of DPI and its welcome and unwelcome uses. Technically, DPI transforms intermediary nodes in a network—nodes needed to forward packets to their destinations—into sites that investigate more data than required to transmit a packet to its destination. In some cases, individuals may consent to intermediary nodes examining deep-nested elements of data packets—limiting spam, virus-ridden messages, or access to particular websites may be appreciated. Further, inspection at intermediary nodes might be used to establish network caches, which could provide faster access to requested data.

Other instantiations of DPI may be less desirable. Individuals would presumably resist widespread use of DPI to monitor data transmissions and collect secret information (e.g. credit card numbers), to let law enforcement survey data communications, to modify messages in transit, or to block access to information based on analyses of message content. In each of these use-cases, consent is rarely given, and thus justification, access controls, and enforcement measures must be established before using the technology. Clarke concludes on a pessimistic note: the present status of the technology’s deployment by ISPs indicates that abuse of the technology is prevalent, with such abuses simultaneously endangering the Internet’s basic infrastructure and civil rights.

Bibliographic information:

Clarke, Roger. (2009). Deep packet inspection: Its nature and implications. Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada Deep Packet Inspection Essays Website. Published March 11, 2009. Retrieved December 10, 2010 from http://dpi.priv.gc.ca/index.php/essays/deep-packet-inspection-its-nature-and-implications/

If you’re interested in downloading Christopher Parsons’ full annotated bibliography about deep packet inspection, click here.

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About Christopher Parsons

Christopher is a PhD candidate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Victoria. He is currently attending to a particular set of technologies that facilitate digitally mediated surveillance, including Deep Packet Inspection (DPI), behavioral advertising, and mobile devices. He thinks through how these technologies influence citizens in their decision to openly express themselves or engage in self-censoring behavior on a regular basis. He blogs at Technology, Thoughts, and Trinkets and is @caparsons on Twitter.
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