ISPs Known for Defending Their Customer's Rights?

lieumorrison asks: "With the recent examples of some US based Internet service providers going overboard in their desire to stay on the good side of the law, I ask Slashdot readers: What ISPs have a reputation of protecting their costumers by not arbitrarily giving in to C&D orders and such, without first contacting their lawyers? (ISPs hosting in the US or abroad; based on reactions in the past)"

Comments

Not Johns Hopkins University

[USSJoin]

Technically not an ISP as such, but they definitely provide internet connectivity.
During the Diebold/DMCA issue, they caved and forced their students to remove materials, before consulting anybody, and then, even when advised that Diebold wasn't going to do anything, they still prohibited the sharing of information. See http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&ct=res&cd=3&url=htt p%3A//www.eff.org/legal/ISP_liability/OPG_v_Diebol d/Decl_of_Laroia_w_Exhs.pdf&ei=xtoDQ7vVOa2CYaufjNg I for one affadavit. (PDF Warning)

Privacy Policies

[slughead]

A lot of ISPs' privacy policies state that they wont give out your personal information with anything short of a warrant.

With the FBI basically writing their own warrants now, it's put them in an awkward legal position.

The best part is: even before the patriot II (which passed, see above link), ISPs could be charged with obstruction of justice for not giving the FBI what they ask for in unofficial terms.

Speaking as someone who was tracked down in such a way over a MISDEMENOR (dismissed, thank God), I can say that this affects us all. I'm very proud to say that a grand jury was assembled and a warrant had to be issued before Cox gave the information up. This was after Patriot I, however, it was BEFORE Patriot II.

Nowadays.. well ...

Re:Speakeasy.net

[Anonymous Coward]

Yes, but how would Speakeasy's policies fit with Google's work censoring their chinese users at the behest of the commies ?

XS4All, Netherlands

[mpieters]

The Dutch ISP XS4All has a very long history of both active and pro-active defense of their customer rights. It is currently leading an international petition against the EU plans for data retention, for example. It also started case against the Dutch government over wiretapping.

In the past it has on a regular bases stood up to defend their customer rights, including a long running spat against the Church of Scientology and a case of freedom of expression even if it is about derailing German trains.

Last but not least XS4All actively sues spammers (sorry, Dutch only).

Re:Does anyone even know what their ISP policies a

[LWATCDR]

This is both good and bad.
We had a former employee that we believe was reading other peoples email. I had a log of an IP address from his ISP checking our CEOs mailbox. He was not employed with us at that time. I asked the ISP if it was him and sent the logs but they would not tell us or do anything about it with out subpoena.
Here is the problem. This is a criminal act. We did not want him to go to jail we just wanted him to stop and to let him know we caught him. He has a wife and a kid and putting him in jail wouldn't have helped anyone.
Instead we just changed all our passwords.
Sometimes not going through the courts can be a kindness and not evil.