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The Great Skype Bandwidth-Hijack Caper

http://nic.phys.ethz.ch/news/1106655341/index_html

Very interesting - that page cites the following entry in the Skype EULA (underlines mine):

4.1 Permission to utilize Your computer. In order to receive the benefits provided by the Skype Software, you hereby grant permission for the Skype Software to utilize the processor and bandwidth of Your computer for the limited purpose of facilitating the communication between You and other Skype Software users.

But that would seem to limit their use of your bandwidth to *your* communications. Now let's actually look at the current version of the Skype EULA by clicking the above link, and lo and behold, there's a teensy little change in the wording here:

4.1 Utilization of Your computer. You hereby acknowledge that the Skype Software may utilize the processor and bandwidth of the computer (or other applicable device) You are utilizing, for the limited purpose of facilitating the communication between Skype Software users.

I wonder when Skype changed that little item - probably in one of the many "upgrades", the ones where they figure no one bothers to check the EULA for changes anymore, knowing full well we all have other things we'd like to do with our lives.

I'd always wondered, especially in the wake of eBay buying Skype, how they were going to make money off it - I guess now we know.

Bottom line: make sure to kill your Skype client when you're not actively using it! Otherwise - especially if you get charged on a per-GByte bais for your internet usage (as is common in places like Europe) - you could get a nasty surprise in your ISP bill.