I find that I can usually tell when there are escalated levels of malicious activity on the internet because there are multiple updates of my virus definition files in a single day.
With a growing number of internet service providers moving to impose download caps on their broadband service, it seems to me that there are going to need to be carve outs for certain kinds of downloads, such as anti-virus and operating system software updates.
It is in the best interests of the service providers for their users to keep machines current.
I don’t think the ISPs want users to even consider deactivating their automatic update features as a means to preserve from headroom on their download caps. Such a move would inevitably drive more activity to their call centres and increase the likelihood of infected devices on the edge of their networks.
And that isn’t in anyone’s interest.
Update [May 2, 3:10 pm]
Peter Nowak looks at download caps from a different perspective in his posting today on CBC online. His article asks “Are download limits anti-competitive?“
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