Author: Dan Bryant 2015-09-01 14:44:44
Published on: 2015-09-01T14:44:44+00:00
The legality of setting up a full node for Bitcoin from home is a contentious issue, and many ISPs prohibit offering up network services that a full node would supply from your residence. For example, Comcast forbids network "services" that serve anyone off-premise, while AT&T appears to claim implicit admin rights to all "equipment" that connects to their network. A VPN provides privacy and flexibility to open or close any ports. It may be beneficial for those with an AT&T landline but who don't use AT&T's standard internet/tv offering to use a local ISP instead, as this can potentially avoid blockage and censorship, as well as provide a better privacy policy. General observations show that TWC stores your IP and other information for six months or longer, same for Comcast; Verizon retains your data for at least 18 months, and Qwest/Century for one year; Cox for six months, while AT&T retains data for longer than a year. In the case of one user, they struggled to open port 8333, which is essential for operating a full node. After much investigation, it was revealed that the internet was being routed through a DVR/cable box, and the DVR had a firewall. The customer service representative refused to turn off the firewall because it was their equipment, effectively allowing them to firewall any port they wanted even if the customer asked them not to. This demonstrates a potential driving force behind the decline in Bitcoin nodes, as ISPs are essentially censoring Bitcoin themselves.
Updated on: 2023-06-10T21:42:17.155786+00:00