At around 11pm last night (5 May 2008), RS.com stopped responding. All requests were being timed out.
Today, same problem. Rapidshare.com wouldn't load at all.
I switched from OpenDNS to the local DNS, but it didn't work. I then tried it via a proxy - Rapidshare.com was working. I suspected something was wrong on my side as there were no reports of Rapidshare being down elsewhere.
I pinged Rapidshare.com... & the server responded perfectly. With a sinking feeling, I realised what was happening! I had dreaded it but I never imagined it happening - certainly not with the FUP being implemented - Orange wouldn't need to go that far...
Just one last confirmation. I went on DownForEveryoneOrJustMe.com & tried Rapidshare.com
No way!
Orange Mauritius ISP is blocking RAPIDSHARE.COM!!!
If the Fair Usage Policy was a stab in the back, then Orange's decision to block RS.com is like being sent to the guillotine.
Here's a simple analogy.
As everyone knows, the M1 highway going through Port Louis is the busiest road in Mauritius. Half of the day, the M1 is paralysed by traffic jams. So one day, the Gov decides to get rid of all traffic jams by just closing down the M1. No more highway, no traffic jams - the miracle solution!
This is exactly what Orange is doing - by blocking the websites people use the most! Orange first started by limiting your traffic usage with the FUP (with everyone still being kept in the dark), & now they’ve just blocked the most popular file-hoster in the world.
Possible targets on Orange's
- YouTube (Mauritian people watch toooo many videos & that's unhealthy for them – make them watch MBC instead)
- Facebook (Someone created a group called Orange sucks & that's heresy - can't be tolerated!)
- Hi5 (Can't let everyone chat online - block them & they'll use Orange mobile instead)
- Wikipedia (There's a fake wiki about Orange blocking Wikipedia)
- Megaupload (Cannot not block MU while blocking RS.com)
- Mediafire, FileFactory, Megashares, RS.de & 4shared? (5 more for the road...)
- themediaguru.blogspot.com (That guy’s flaming the cash-cows against Orange - better block him)
& no, I’m not joking. What Orange is doing is not traffic management but Internet Censorship. Who knows tomorrow, Orange may become the Great Firewall of Mauritius - restricting your Internet connection speed… & also restricting access to information on the Internet!
SAFE is being overwhelmed - that is indeed a fact. But Orange has chosen the worst possible way to counter the lack of bandwidth by “policing” Internet access. Instead of investing on increasing network capacity, they are trying to restraint it (until the arrival of the EASSY?). Why not invest into more fibre optic links? Why not implement island-wide FTTH? Lack of vision, perhaps? Or are FT puppets vetoing it? (No doubt, they’d want to get back those millions spent in the rebranding)
Orange has decided to restrict access to RS.com without informing any of the users. Such a restriction may be completely illegal (remember the Facebook episode?). The whole point of blocking Rapidshare is that there’s this myth that file sharing takes up most of the bandwidth in Mauritius. According to this Wired.com report, ISPs never release their network usage stats & most studies have shown that P2P usage consists only 30% of the web traffic.
Albeit Rapidshare isn’t P2P & that Mauritius’ traffic pattern can’t be compared with the US - but it’s definite that the most traffic is used by gamers & normal web browsing & downloading - Web 2.0 & video-sharing sites like YouTube easily consume half of that traffic. Rapidshare & other file-hosters play a minimal role in there. I agree Rapidshare hosts unauthorised content, but the majority are legal downloads!!! Why Rapidshare is so popular is because it has the fastest upload & download speeds - even as a free user! What will happen to Rapidshare premium users? Will Orange refund their accounts, since they cannot access it anymore?
Everyone knows Orange uses package headers to shape your torrents, so you had to encrypt it or switch to file-hosting. But now with Rapidshare.com gone… should we start living on proxies? If you check the Alexa Mauritius Top 100 sites, Rapidshare.com comes at 8th place… behind YouTube & the social networks. Will Orange block these sites as well because of their high traffic usage? That’s completely irrational! Without releasing any traffic pattern figures, Orange may well be blowing up the bandwidth problem out of proportions so that they can permanently limit our traffic?!?!
We must not allow Orange to create a precedent, so that in the future, our basic human rights of Liberty & Freedom of Expression won’t be at stake. No one wants Mauritius to be featured as one of the “enemies of the Internet” on a Wikipedia page like the one on Internet Censorship. If we want to become a cyber-island, we should promote Internet freedom instead of stifling it. Except that with Orange, it seems we are going back in time to the Middle Ages of dial-up. Not only is the world leaving us behind… but we are running backwards!
We are currently facing an energy crisis, a food crisis & high inflation - & now an INTERNET CRISIS!
Act now before it’s too late!!! Let’s say NO to ORANGE! (Orange can’t bribe us as they bribed MT employees with free mobile phones!)
I’m currently working on a petition, which should (hopefully) make Orange reconsider its decision. Let’s fight Orange!
PS: Orange has managed to bring me out of my 2-week blogging exile (coz of exams), but I’m really busy. I need to weight my words well before I publish the demands for the petition (by Friday perhaps), so stay tuned. Do comment!
Note about FTTH: There are reports that Orange has begun testing FTTH (Fibre-to-the-Home) in Quatre-Bornes & that some businesses have already been connected! Can anyone confirm this?
Blog Reactions:
GeekScribes - Rapidshare.com DOWN in Mauritius only?
Tushal - Orange V/s Rapidshare
UPDATE:
Wednesday 7 May 2008 - 10:30 AM
Rapidshare.com is back up again... Has Orange removed the http blocking? (Let's wait & see...)
UPDATE 2:
Yes, Rapidshare.com is definitely up & running again! &... it wasn't because of server problems or whatsoever... ORANGE DID BLOCK RAPIDSHARE.COM!!!
I knew there was something wrong when it was clear that only Mauritius was having such problems. It's now confirmed that the restriction started 2-3 days ago, not affecting all users at once - since it was being blocked region-wise. & the only one who can do that is your ISP, i.e. Orange.
But Orange had to stop CENSORING Rapidshare today when they were flooded by complaints from not only home users but important business users as well. & at 10:30 AM, all was well! :)