Google tool sniffs out bandwidth throttling

Google's Measurement Lab allows people to monitor their network traffic

Google has released a new tool which lets users find out whether their bandwidth is being purposely throttled by their ISP.

The new Google Measurement Lab allows people to monitor their network traffic, and detect whether an internet service provider (ISP) is deliberately slowing certain types of traffic, specifically from torrent services.

Google has partnered with the New America Foundation and the PlanetLab Consortium, and hopes that the site and its accompanying set of measurement tools will allow the group to identify any ISP deliberately throttling web traffic.

"By running these tools, users will get information about their connection and provide researchers with valuable aggregate data," wrote Google internet evangelist Vint Cerf and engineer Stephen Stuart in a blog post.

"No matter your views on net neutrality and ISP network management practices, everyone can agree that internet users deserve to be well-informed about what they're getting when they sign up for broadband, and good data is the bedrock of sound policy."

The service could stoke the debate over net neutrality that has arisen over the past year. Some ISPs have argued that managing so-called 'bandwidth hogs' is necessary to keep speeds up for all users.

Opponents of the practice, including Google, have suggested that it sets the stage for large companies to purchase "preferred" access for their services, putting smaller companies at a disadvantage.

The practice came to a head last year when US cable firm Comcast was found to be deliberately crippling connection speeds for customers who were running BitTorrent.

After pressure from the Federal Communications Commission, Comcast eventually agreed to replace the system with a new policy that caps the total amount of data a user can receive each month.

US cable firm Cox Communications, meanwhile, has just announced that it will begin slowing certain functions under a new policy of "congestion management".