Death of the Private Server

I recently saw a news post about the Verizon FiOS service, which will be providing video on demand, TV, HDTV to customers in California. While I applaud 10-30 megabit connections to the internet and fiber to the home, I was concerned about this little piece in their FAQ.

"1. Can I host a Web page?
Verizon FiOS Internet Service consumer packages include 10 MB of personal Web space. The consumer offers do not permit customers to host any type of server, personal or commercial."

So - thinking that maybe you need to buy the "Business" version of FiOS - I hit the Business FAQ.

No mention of Fixed IPs, Servers, etc.

Is this the death knell to private servers, private email? One of the joys I find of the Internet is the idea of universal access. See this article at Free Press: http://www.freepress.net/issues/universalaccess

Now this article focuses on the costs of high speed bandwidth and access for the poor, I would like to focus on who do you trust with your data?

From the Boston Globe in January in reference to subpoenas to ASPs and Search Engine companies from the Federal Government:

"The subpoenas also drew attention to how the major search services have become repositories of their users' personal data. ''They have lots of information," said Danny Sullivan, editor of Search Engine Watch, an industry trade publication. ''They know what people are clicking on. They know what people are searching for." By analyzing their vast databases of past searches, the companies can improve their software to help users find data more quickly. The companies can also upgrade the lucrative software that places paid advertisements on the search results pages. Currently, Google retains information about Web users' online activity for as long as it deems the data useful, according to a company spokesman." Linked here

Here is the crux of the situation: Comments from Paul Rosenzweig Before the United States House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary Subcommittee on the Constitution

Emphasis is mine:

"Thus, an individual’s banking activity, credit card purchases, flight itineraries, and charitable donations are information that the government may access because the individual has voluntarily provided it to a third-party. According to the Supreme Court, no one has any constitutionally based enforceable expectation of privacy in them. The individual who is the original source of this information cannot complain when another entity gives it to the government. Some thoughtful scholars have criticized this line of cases, but it has been fairly well settled for decades."

Are you voluntarily turning over everything you do on the Internet to your ISP?

Are you voluntarily turning over every IP phone conversation to your ISP?

Are you voluntarily turning over every E-Mail since it is hosted by your ISP?

I for one want to own my servers.

Blog without FEAR.