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In-Flight Service Gogo Uses Fake SSL Certificates To Throttle Streaming
Amanda Parker writes In-flight internet service Gogo has defended its use of a fake Google SSL certificates as a means of throttling video streaming, adding that it was not invading its customer's privacy in doing so. The rebuttal comes after Google security researcher Adrienne Porter Felt posted a screenshot of the phoney certificate to Twitter. From the article: "The image clearly shows that Gogo signed the certificate, not Google, thus misleading customers and opening the door to malware on users' devices. It also serves as a way to throttle data and limit traffic on its networks. 'Gogo takes our customer's privacy very seriously and we are committed to bringing the best Internet experience to the sky,' CTO Anand Chari said in a Monday statement."
Under civil law, this is certainly a trademark violation. Is this a forgery under criminal law?
People are getting their panties in a twist about the contract rather than the real kicker. There are many more suitable ways to prevent streaming like QoS, blacklists etc. Instead they choose to MITM an encrypted connection.
I don't care what they say. They are completely in the wrong and I'm sure if you read the laws carefully enough what they are doing is likely illegal as they have more than 3 letters in their name.