blocking ports of things like IM and IRC is highly advisable, as it's the most popular method for botnet communication (they are, after all, a free communication service designed to send messages....)

Just throwing that out there for why a place would want to block IM/IRC ports.

Ah, I didn't know that. :sweat:

I don't know what a botnet is either...

That would be the second category. And as I said, you gave up your right to complain when you agreed to the ToS (it's in section 5 subsection e, clause iii )
That would be pretty much every single provider running a NIDS/NIPS (network-based intrusion detection/prevention system), it by definition monitors your traffic. Believe me, you want this, not don't want it.
Monitoring != archiving, there is a distinct difference
Also anything you send over encrypted https cannot be seen anyway, so long as you are using https (or ssl for your smtp-based email client) for your email, they can't see it. -- basically all gmail accounts and most hotmail accounts would be unreadable (all free yahoo accounts are readable in plain-text). The email protocol is inherently insecure unless you add security, so there is no such thing as private emails.
if you're worried, though, set up a VPN, not hard to do :shrug:
Except you agreed to it all in the ToS...

If they were blocking something like instant messenger protocols then I can see that as restrictive, but Steam uses a large amount of bandwidth if people download large games so it's understandable that they would block it.

You know what I mean.

The insinuation on campus is that they're archiving it.

And I'm fairly certain that the campus does NOT have a WiFi ToS posted. Which is it not required that it be posted/easily accessible? I should imagine that would be the case.

They don't just block Steam, they block any program trying to access the network.

It would either be a form you filled out when you started going there or it should be on any launchpad/portal/login page that appears when you join the network, as a link perhaps.
I assume by that you mean they've closed all ports but port 80 and 443

The school filter has directly interfered with my academic success by doing this.

"Need quick easily accessible information? BAM I BANNED WIKIPEDIA!

Remember the good old days where there was a thing called books, and those books were housed in a building called a library?

Run--->cmd, thats why.


Ive never seen one locked that tight but Im certain it can be beaten.

And yes.

Also, when they say it's to stop you from getting on sites with "malware" it's kind of the bussinesses fault for using MICROSOFT AVG as their anti-virus...

So because of censorship, I had a poorly informed and terribly illustrated power point that counted as a test grade.

it's not censorship, why? because you dont have a right to use that equipment, you are given the privilege of using that equipment, and that privilege does not include complete access to the internet from their building

Privilege =/= being told to use their equipment in class and not yours.

And depending on the situation, such as a college class, I would argue, as I said previously, that considering the amount we college students pay for our education, we should have access to a service that our money goes towards. As an example, if you paid extra for a cheeseburger, yet there was no cheese, should you not be able to dispute the placing of a dairy product within the sandwich? I should think so.

Given the fees levied for college education, the institution shouldn't limit our access to the services our money helps fund. That, or our tuition cost should be lower.

Does that make sense? I'm tired and my brain is somewhat drained.

your fees don't go to the Internet, the go to the Internet + the filter. So you are paying for what you are getting. (using your anology, the Internet is the burger and the filter is the cheese. The place doesn't sell plain hamburgers)

I guess the main point I'm getting at is that we can complain/protest the filtering and censoring of internet at college due to our paying for a service rendered. Just as we can complain to our own cable company if we aren't getting satisfactory service.

The difference is you are paying for filtered internet (quite literally -- It does take efforts to filter, run a captive portal, and deploy NIDS). It's like complaining that your basic cable subscription doesn't get HBO -- you aren't paying for all cable channels, you're paying for the subscription you selected -- a subscription that doesn't include HBO.

But there's never anything good on HBO.

Internet freedom on the other hand is a necessity.