I was surprised to read a few days ago that Skype is banned from a number of college campuses and that the number of campuses banning or considering a ban on eBay Inc.'s (NASDAQ: EBAY) Skype is growing.
According to a Skype spokesperson, students and faculty members rely on Skype for anything from group sessions, distant learning to simply making free calls. I tend to believe that to some extent. The magnitude of Skype use may not be as large as Skype claims, but it probably does facilitate life on campus to a certain degree.
So why would campuses ban Skype? The reasons cited are that the technology could potentially corrupt and crowd networks and that Skype protocols violate universities' network policies by forcing some users to become temporary transfer point for phone calls. Worse, though, is that Skype can give hackers a way to access universities' network servers.
While considering banning Skype, the use of other VoIP services is allowed. Why? That's because of the way Skype operates, which is dependent on the Internet network's owner. So Skype is at their mercy. Colleges could be worried about network protocols, but some countries that support telephone monopolies ban Internet-based calling altogether.
eBay and Skype are trying to talk to the campuses to find a way to accommodate everybody. In the meanwhile, it is good to know, as a user of Skype and as an investor, the limits and problems of Skype.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
9-28-2006 @ 1:36PM
Gary E. Sattler said...
We have a plan to save Skype.
We know it will work.
It will cost big dollars.
It will galvanize Skype at the top.
It will put eBay on top of the world.
Interested?
You got my number, but I've GIVEN eBay all I'm going to.
Let's do lunch.
Gary
9-28-2006 @ 1:52PM
Grant Robertson said...
"Worse, though, is that Skype can give hackers a way to access universities' network servers."
The above statement is patently untrue.
9-28-2006 @ 3:58PM
Melly said...
Grant, if this is so, I'm sure eBay will be able to explain this to the unviersity in the talks it's holding with them now.
9-29-2006 @ 9:14PM
Cathy Goerz said...
After discussions earlier this week, Skype and San José State University agreed on a technical solution that was mutually beneficial, and as a result the use of Skype will continue to be used on the campus network.
10-04-2006 @ 12:20AM
dimes said...
In case anyone reading uses skype on a Mac:
Security hole plugged in Skype for Mac
By Joris Evers, CNET News.com
Wednesday, October 04 2006 11:24 AM
Skype on Tuesday issued an update that fixes a serious security flaw in its Internet telephony software for Apple Computer's Mac OS X.
A vulnerability exists in the way Skype for Mac handles Web links, according to a Skype advisory. An attacker could construct a malformed Skype link which, when clicked on, can cause the application to crash or allow a system to be compromised.
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"A user of Skype for Mac who follows a specially crafted URL may experience a crash of the Skype software and possibly may execute arbitrary code without consent," the company said in its advisory. The Net telephony provider, part of online auction giant eBay, deems the issue "high" risk.
A miscreant could publish a malformed Skype link on a Web site, for example, and try to trick someone into following it, the company said.
The vulnerability exists in Skype for Mac releases prior to and including 1.5.*.79. It has been fixed in release 1.5.*.80 or later, which was available for download on the Skype Web site on Tuesday.
10-04-2006 @ 12:21AM
dimes said...
Sorry, neglected to include the link to the zdnet/Asia article.
http://tinyurl.com/gdbgn