ISP, Streaming and Browser Download Extensions

[MarcoLsx]

Hello,

my question is:

Is my ISP, or any other network monitoring entity, able to discern between streaming traffic and the traffic of a browser extension that is saving the data flux on my hdd?

This without using vpn (or by other means that I'm not aware of).

Thanks

 

[boosted1g]

If both are accessing the exact same data stream from the web then no, the ISP will not know what you are doing with the data on your own computer.

 

[MarcoLsx]

If both are accessing the exact same data stream from the web then no, the ISP will not know what you are doing with the data on your own computer.

thanks for your reply.
I use download video helper on firefox, so I hope it use the same stream.

 

[bill001g]

If you are running https data then pretty much all they can see is the end ip address. They may or may not be able to figure something out. If it is running http they can see everything. The problem are the headers in the http. They tell web sites a lot of information about your machine. They give things like the browser you are using. the OS you are running, even the video resolution you are using. The ISP can intercept this information.

I assume now that it is going to legal for a ISP to harvest your data there will be even more push for all sites to move to https. Try to use https as much as possible that way they can only see what sites you go to not what you are looking at.

Still they can tell a lot. The Chinese have figured out a way to detect suspected vpn and/or proxy traffic just by analyzing the patterns in the https encrypted packets. They can't be sure since they can't decrypt it but they just block it anyway.

 

[MarcoLsx]

If you are running https data then pretty much all they can see is the end ip address. They may or may not be able to figure something out. If it is running http they can see everything. The problem are the headers in the http. They tell web sites a lot of information about your machine. They give things like the browser you are using. the OS you are running, even the video resolution you are using. The ISP can intercept this information.

I assume now that it is going to legal for a ISP to harvest your data there will be even more push for all sites to move to https. Try to use https as much as possible that way they can only see what sites you go to not what you are looking at.

Still they can tell a lot. The Chinese have figured out a way to detect suspected vpn and/or proxy traffic just by analyzing the patterns in the https encrypted packets. They can't be sure since they can't decrypt it but they just block it anyway.

Many thanks for the clarification.
Ok, so this means that if the browser run an extension like video downloadhelper, the isp is able to see it if I do not use https?

Cause my only concern is to not show that I'm saving the data stream, I don't care if someone know that I'm watching a copyrighted streaming video, at least until law don't change.

 

[bill001g]

Its pretty easy to see what the ISP can see and not see. Run wireshark and capture your own traffic and look headers that are being sent.

In general it is not the ISP that cares a lot about copyright. The RIAA that people get letters from are figuring out their own copyright violation by look at those that those that are seeding files on torrent. They then force the ISP to tell them who owns a IP. Most ISP will not bother to monitor your traffic unless it is causing them some performance issue. Then again if they can now make money by selling information to copyright holders as well as advertisers they might start.