Re: What do you consider acceptable packet / session modification for a network operator?

[Mel Beckman via NANOG <nanog () lists nanog org>]

After Federal network neutrality failed, courts delegated those regulatory powers to the states.  California’s 2018 
SB822 law, for example, prohibits ISPs from blocking, throttling, or engaging in paid prioritization, creating a 
significant check on some of the ISP practices you suggest. Other states have followed suit, creating a patchwork of 
regulations. So is there any legally safe way for any ISP to engage in traffic-infringing actions like the ones you 
discuss?

-mel via cell

> On Dec 24, 2025, at 6:37 PM, Mukund Sivaraman via NANOG <nanog () lists nanog org> wrote:
>
> On Thu, Dec 25, 2025 at 01:08:05AM +0000, Andrew via NANOG wrote:
> > So, how do you feel about where to draw the line for what is
> > acceptable from an ISP?
>
> Some of these may be double-edged (on how a person may feel, depending
> on their perspective).
>
> As an example, some virtual private server operators will drop outgoing
> SMTP traffic by default. Someone who's the target of spammers may cheer
> this. Someone who wants to use it to run a mail server (non-spamming)
> will not. Some operators can be contacted through a form to remove the
> default filter.
>
> > - Redirecting port 53 DNS queries to ISP’s own servers, regardless of destination IP
>
> As a DNS programmer, this particularly bites me. My ISP does this and I
> bypass it by SSH'ing into machines in a datacenter to do my tests
> elsewhere. Another option is to use an IP tunnel such as Wireguard. I
> guess that some ISPs can't avoid intercepting DNS due to government
> relgulation that asks that certain qnames be blocked (for public
> benefit?).
>
> Some VPN operators (if you can call them internet service providers as
> they become the default route) also intercept all port 53 traffic and
> redirect to their own resolvers. This is explained as for the
> improvement of privacy for the customer. So it depends on the
> perspective of the person how they feel about this.
>
>        Mukund
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