If you’re in the US and a customer of one of the large ISPs, then you might be interested in reading the following story. According to leaked AT&T documents, obtained by TorrentFreak, the ISPs are currently preparing to start with the so called ’six strikes’ anti-piracy measure. This means that ISPs will send six warnings to users who download or share copyright software, video and audio. Those who receive a 5th of 6th warning will first need to complete an online educational tutorial on copyright before they are able to normally access other pages again.
When the tutorial is not completed access to the most visited websites is blocked. After the 6th warning, copyright owners might decide to sue you. And you don’t get away with denying someone else was on your computer, the AT&T documents clearly state that you will be held responsible for your internet connection. The launch date of this far going anti-piracy measure would be the 28th of November, when not only AT&T will start with it, also Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner and Verizon will likely start with it.
12 Comments on US ISPs to start six-strikes anti-piracy measure 28th of November
Soon, we'll see "In order to alleviate these egregious new expenses, we're going to increase fees."
Then, "In order to offset the expenses of this new accounting system, we're going to increase fees."
In between, there will be data-stream throttling. "We believe most customers only need 19.2baud speeds, so if you need 33.6b, simply pay a bit more..."
Which is going to bring in another new accounting system. Then, following the Big Oil standard, clouds will pass in front of the sun. "In order to offset this extraordinary expense..."
Finally, when they need to pay more lobbyists to get Congress to pass more anti-competition legislation, they'll increase fees to cover those new kickbacks - er, rebates. "Dear customers, you may have seen the Justice Department claims we're monopolies, so we must raise fees so you can still enjoy the same fine services without the confusion that true competition offers."
This is, after all, the Better Mousetrap.
Nowhere to run, baby, nowhere to hide...
Then, "In order to offset the expenses of this new accounting system, we're going to increase fees."
In between, there will be data-stream throttling. "We believe most customers only need 19.2baud speeds, so if you need 33.6b, simply pay a bit more..."
Which is going to bring in another new accounting system. Then, following the Big Oil standard, clouds will pass in front of the sun. "In order to offset this extraordinary expense..."
Finally, when they need to pay more lobbyists to get Congress to pass more anti-competition legislation, they'll increase fees to cover those new kickbacks - er, rebates. "Dear customers, you may have seen the Justice Department claims we're monopolies, so we must raise fees so you can still enjoy the same fine services without the confusion that true competition offers."
This is, after all, the Better Mousetrap.
Nowhere to run, baby, nowhere to hide...
I suspect they will start at six incidents then gradually reduce the threshold down to one. For any violation you'll have to choose between disconnection or paying more for a "high-risk tier" connection.
That's so evil, they would never get away wit... oooh heck, you're probably right RTV71 
The money from lost customers should come out of the copyright industry's wallet.. not the rate payers.. this is where the new "regulation" which is NOT law, but an agreement to avoid more costly lobbying by the copyright industry to vacate long-standing safe-harbor rights of ISPs and content providers.
You can generally see this will be a failure.. there are all kinds of internet connections which are not your own which can and will be abused disproportionately when this takes place and those places of "free open wifi" will have to end up censoring protocol uses such as bittorrent to stay in compliance.. and IMO, offering that kind of connection isn't worth having.. not becuase the killer app is "PIRACY" but the cesorship won't be tailored just to piracy..
You can generally see this will be a failure.. there are all kinds of internet connections which are not your own which can and will be abused disproportionately when this takes place and those places of "free open wifi" will have to end up censoring protocol uses such as bittorrent to stay in compliance.. and IMO, offering that kind of connection isn't worth having.. not becuase the killer app is "PIRACY" but the cesorship won't be tailored just to piracy..
Rex, I'm still going to have Hubby start hauling up logs to the parapets, get the fires going and re-fill the tar and oil caldrons just in case those buggers come calling. Or will they eventually just laser-scope and shoot us during breakfast? "Even one strike is too much! -signed, RIAA"
Darn... I'd hate that. I'll definitely get the auto-dumpers installed on those boiling caldrons.
Darn... I'd hate that. I'll definitely get the auto-dumpers installed on those boiling caldrons.
Don't forget the inevitable: Dear AT&T user, we don't like it when you visit the Verizon website, because we feel you might be leaving us. So, after illegally spying on you, we decided to ban you until you learn your lesson -AT&T."
Or "We don't know what this site is, but it looks like you downloaded an MP3 from it. Therefore you must be breaking the law."
And last, but not least "You seem to be using a P2P program, so you are automatically doing something illegal".
Seriously, are they allowed to do something like this? Aren't there laws against spying on millions of people without there consent? Is there ANYONE who even likes this law, other than the people who are enlarging there wallets?
Or "We don't know what this site is, but it looks like you downloaded an MP3 from it. Therefore you must be breaking the law."
And last, but not least "You seem to be using a P2P program, so you are automatically doing something illegal".
Seriously, are they allowed to do something like this? Aren't there laws against spying on millions of people without there consent? Is there ANYONE who even likes this law, other than the people who are enlarging there wallets?
TSJ, yes! "(Competitor) Website not available. They must be down. They're terrible anyway. Please don't try again."
Fortunately for those companies, we adopt the Zebra Herd mentality, thinking that since we're one-in-a-kajillion, the likelihood of any one person being picked off is small.
Of course...
If the 200 zebras would turn, en masse, and charge down those 20 lions or hyenas, the predators would be gone.
Fortunately for those companies, we adopt the Zebra Herd mentality, thinking that since we're one-in-a-kajillion, the likelihood of any one person being picked off is small.
Of course...
If the 200 zebras would turn, en masse, and charge down those 20 lions or hyenas, the predators would be gone.
Of course, what ChristineBCW just said is valid, but life would all be easier if these ISPs just stood up and said to the RIAA/MPAA "Although we'd like to help stop piracy, but our customers would hate us if we did something like this. Therefore, we must reject your offer."
Plus, what happens if one of your employees turns out to be less than honest and decides to abuse his/her position, and misuses the ISP's user spying technology to steal people's identity?
What's really sad is that the MPAA/RIAA is probably paying the ISPs big bucks for these new policies to take place. Yet despite this new payload, ChristineBCW's prediction of fees, fees, fees has a good chance of coming true. Corporate greed at its finest.
Plus, what happens if one of your employees turns out to be less than honest and decides to abuse his/her position, and misuses the ISP's user spying technology to steal people's identity?
What's really sad is that the MPAA/RIAA is probably paying the ISPs big bucks for these new policies to take place. Yet despite this new payload, ChristineBCW's prediction of fees, fees, fees has a good chance of coming true. Corporate greed at its finest.
Bad Precedent(sic?)=Eavesdropping information of any kind on the general public.
O!bumma!
O!bumma!
For a while, Verizon stood strong (against invasive anti-piracy)... but once they realized video wasn't all it could be.. partly due to their own lack of innovation and blindly following the cable-tv industry off the cord cutting cilff.. they decided to move billions in investment not for FIOS/FTTP but in wireless data which they can charge by metered billing. Had Verizon followed another path, they'd have more customers now than before rather than less in additon to the higher prices.
Remains to be seen how bad this could end up.. as in causing consumers to churn their ISPs..
Remains to be seen how bad this could end up.. as in causing consumers to churn their ISPs..
TSJ, "what happens when one bad employee-?" Yes. Is anyone willing to bet companies have only employees with the highest moral fibre? Holy Sandusky, Batman...
Steve, actually, GW's regime started this wide-spy net with whole new gov't agencies, but his followers love blaming someone else - deflecting attention from the truth keeps the lie going stronger.
TMC, I think as long as Congress continues to prop up broadband providers with monopoly-ized regions, consumers won't see great service because there's no real competition. "But you have DSL!!" Yeah. Right. Americans also had the Yugo, too,
If the RIAA would be held to the same level of honest and open accounting standards FOR their artists that they're now demanding from ISPs, I guess it would all balance out. But as long as they're getting away with signing back-office "distribution" deals that deny accurate, verifiable unit-sales, only the middlemen and their attorneys make the money.
Steve, actually, GW's regime started this wide-spy net with whole new gov't agencies, but his followers love blaming someone else - deflecting attention from the truth keeps the lie going stronger.
TMC, I think as long as Congress continues to prop up broadband providers with monopoly-ized regions, consumers won't see great service because there's no real competition. "But you have DSL!!" Yeah. Right. Americans also had the Yugo, too,
If the RIAA would be held to the same level of honest and open accounting standards FOR their artists that they're now demanding from ISPs, I guess it would all balance out. But as long as they're getting away with signing back-office "distribution" deals that deny accurate, verifiable unit-sales, only the middlemen and their attorneys make the money.
Speak with dollars people, if you are an AT & T customer, and you don't like this policy, leave them, and let them know why you are leaving, simple as that. Hopefully enough will leave to send a strong message, I do have my doubts because people tend to be lemmings, but if you're reading this DO IT!!
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