There are concerns about the amount of bandwidth Skype could use if used on our network. Yes, the use of our network for communications and collaboration uses bandwidth. But, isn't that what bandwidth is for, to be used? It is like money, why have it if we don't use it?

I have blogged in the past about how Skype is seen by some as a threat. But, the utility of Skype is great. Skype is becoming a de facto standard among users of this type of emerging technology.

In the Web 1.0 world, Client-Server is the mindset computing command model and p2p is bad and chaotic. In p2p any computer can collaborate with any other computer and that is hard to control. In the Web 2.0 world collaboration is a form of communication and enhancing the conversation is what Web 2.0 is all about. So, in Web 2.0 p2p is good and Skype is good.

Deciding to just pull the plug on Skype in its early stage of use is like what pulling the plug on Email or Web would have been like ten years ago. The decision to pull the plug on Skype, if it is to be made at all, deserves to be made with the academic community after some thoughtful consideration. There are potential pedagogical applications of Skype. These need to be considered:

• Skype can be used to bring remote speakers into a classroom.
• Skype can be used by educators to collaborate with distant colleagues.
• Skype offers teleconferencing capabilities that allow quick collaboration groups to be formed free and in real time.
• Because you can see when colleagues are logged into Skype, virtual communities can be created in Skype that offer other opportunities for collaboration.
• The encryption nature of Skype is a feature when faculty use Skype to communicate with students. It assures their privacy.

The decision to just kill Skype at SJSU on the spur of the moment is, in my opinion, just weird. It ignores the possible pedagogical applications of Skype. The sudden nature of the plug being pulled on Skype makes me wonder if there was some sort of national security incident that may have spooked the administration? This is pure speculation. It seems to me the folks who made the decision to just kill Skype at SJSU just do not get what our mission is. Unless, there is more that we do not know.

See also: Campus may ban Skype by Stefanie Chase, The Spartan Daily.

Don Baker, interim associate vice president of university computing and telecommunications, said some of the reasons include the use of state resources for retail purposes and the fear of acquiring computer viruses. ... Baker said the decision to ban Skype at SJSU does look like a possibility. "...We haven't made that decision (yet)," Baker said. He said people for and against Skype will share their arguments, and the decision will be reviewed this week.

Text of the document which triggered the discussion:

Skype Prohibited at SJSU

For reasons described in the policy statement below, the use of Skype is not generally permitted at SJSU. This is not a prohibition on the use of other VoIP products, such as Wengo or Gizmo Project, but is aimed at Skype and any other products which use a "grid computing-like" technology and license agreement.

Use of Skype

A brief description of Skype operation is useful background. Skype is a voice-over-IP service, providing telephone-like service via the Internet. It is also promoted as supporting large file transfers and may offer other bandwidth-intensive services in the future. Optional paid service offerings support calls to/from the public switched telephone network. It uses a piece of client software that attempts to make peer-to-peer telephone calls. If a call cannot be directly established with a peer (e.g., due to firewalls or NAT), the peers will relay their calls through a third-party system. The third party is another computer with Skype software; the mere installation of Skype is sufficient to launch the relay component, regardless of whether the Skype GUI (client interface) is running.

The use of the university network is subject to CSU policy, including the CSU Information Security Policy. The campus network is a university-owned resource in support of the university mission and its associated business. The Skype End-User License Agreement (EULA) includes a contractual grant of network bandwidth; the end user is not authorized to make such an agreement on behalf of the university as owner of the bandwidth. In addition, while the University makes an allowance for incidental personal use, the operation of a personal server (e.g. Skype relay) is beyond this incidental allowance. For these reasons, the use of Skype is not permitted on the SJSU campus.

There are some secondary issues worth mentioning. One problem we have observed is the abnormal increase in network bandwidth utilization and intrusion detection alerts attributable to Skype installations. The traffic is not due to the individual Skype user, but rather the inherent relay function. Large numbers of inbound connections from foreign countries are typical of compromised systems, but it also occurs with some Skype systems. It should also be noted that Skype will create holes ("exceptions") in the built-in Windows XP firewall. If these exceptions are disabled by the user, they will be re-enabled automatically the next time Skype is started. This may prove to be an excellent vector for a worm.

Summary

1. Skype's End-User License Agreement (EULA) requires the user to grant use of university network bandwidth by Skype users otherwise unaffiliated with the university, and end users are not authorized to enter into this type of agreement on behalf of the university (i.e., the owner of the resource).

2. The operation of Skype's relay function is not in compliance with university policy because:

a. It provides service to third-party people other than those conducting university business.

b. It exceeds incidental personal use.

3. Skype persistently alters host firewall settings and increases the probability the computer will be compromised.

Skype is not permitted at SJSU due to its EULA and relay functions. This prohibition does not apply to use of Skype from residence halls or third-party contractor networks due to the rate-limited and self-funded nature of these connections.

RJK