Excite\@Home snoops on user downloads
Privacy from Companies
'Excite\@Home Australia users are up in arms over the telco's random raids on their broadband accounts in search of pirate activity, with many saying it's an invasion of their privacy.'

'The ISP informed users of its Optus\@Home broadband service that it would terminate customer accounts found to be downloading pirate software or copyright material. A message posted on a public newsgroup service from Cable & Wireless Optus, which half-owns Excite\@Home, said its network security team would investigate claims into activities such as downloading protected movies and "immediately terminate" a subscriber's account without any prior warning. It is not clear whether the policy extends to the company's other international operations.'