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When I run any python script that doesn't even contain any code or imports that could access the internet in any way, I get 2 pythonw.exe processes pop up in my resource monitor under network activity. One of them is always sending more than receiving while the other has the same activity but the amount of sending vs receiving is reversed. The amount of overall activity is dependent on the file size, regardless of how many line are commented out. Even a blank .py document will create network activity of about 200 kb/s. The activity drops from its peak, which is as high as 15,000 kb/s for a file with 10,000 lines, to around zero after around 20 seconds, and then the processes quit on their own. The actual script has finished running long before the network processes stop.

Because the activity is dependent on file size I'm suspicious that every time I run a python script, the whole thing is being transmitted to a server somewhere else in the world.

Is this something that could be built into python, a virus that's infecting my computer, or just something that python is supposed to do and its innocent activity?

If anyone doesn't have an answer but could check to see if this activity affects their own installation of python, that would be great. Thanks!

EDIT: Peter Wood, to start the process just run any python script from the editor, its runs on its own, at least for me. I'm on 2.7.8.

Robert B, I think you may be right, but why would the communication continue after the script has finished running?

puzzler
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