Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Six-Strikes System Starts In U.S.

Posted by Soulskill on from the six-strikes-and-you're-out-out-but-not-really-out-kinda dept.

New submitter mynameiskhan writes "Major internet service providers today will start monitoring the internet traffic to their customers' computers and will warn them if they download copyrighted materials using peer to peer network. The article says, 'A person will be given up to six opportunities to stop before the Internet provider will take more drastic steps, such as temporarily slowing their connection, or redirecting Internet traffic until they acknowledge they received a notice or review educational materials about copyright law.' Furthermore, if you appeal the warning you will be required to pay $35 to state your case. Have the ISPs have had enough of RIAA pestering, or are they siding with RIAA?"

10 of 418 comments (clear)

  1. I hope they do. by waspleg · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I hope the backlash from this makes SOPA look tame.

  2. Of course by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Furthermore, if you appeal the warning you will be required to pay $35 to state your case. Have the ISPs have had enough of RIAA pestering, or are they siding with RIAA?"

    What do you think, genius?

    Of course they're siding with the cartels...and they've figured out a nice little side earner while they screw their customers.

    1. Re:Of course by l0ungeb0y · · Score: 2, Interesting

      This is one of the many problems with "guilty until proven innocent"...often you have to prove a negative, and sometimes that can't be done.

      FYI: "Guilty till proven innocent" is a concept of Criminal Case Law and has no role in Civil Litigation, where you must only show "probable cause". And even then, this is not a Civil Action, this is a wholly private action by a Private Enterprise to terminate your service agrement with them for supposedly braking that service agreement.

      And off hand, I can't think of any way to sue them in Civil Court, since they are the ones claiming "breach of contract" and unless you have a home business or can show other tangible loss, anyone shut down wrongly really has no legal recourse since exactly what damages are to be awarded? Sorry, but "nerd rage" does not constitute personal injury.

      However, it's possible an actual lawyer might come up with something, but it would likely be a class action, and only serve to enrich themselves.

      What we need is for the US Gov't to come down and declare that Internet Access is a fundamental necessity and prevent such terminations of service outside of the legal system. Good luck on that happening any time soon. It will happen, but not this decade.

  3. EFF by Threni · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Are they getting involved? Perhaps share a copyright-free file, get people to download it, get reports raised against it, get complaint, ignore complaint, get to 6 strikes, then ask the ISP to take further steps against them. A few million people doing that at the same time should be fun.

  4. Profit by Dan+East · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Just remember, the music industry saw growth and "profit" in 2012, the first time since 1999, before this copyright protection went in place.

    http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/26/4031912/music-industry-grew-revenue-for-first-time-since-1999
    http://247wallst.com/2013/02/26/music-industry-posts-first-profit-since-1999/

    --
    Better known as 318230.
  5. Change internet providers every year by tekrat · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Verizon offers a sweet deal for FIOS if you're a new customer, so you sign up for the Triple Play, pay $80 per month, and then cancel, because you've used up your six strikes...

    Then sign up for Comcast, get a sweet deal because you're a new customer, pay $50 per month, and then cancel because you've used up your six strikes...

    Wash rinse repeat....

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
  6. Metrics should be easy to track by bhlowe · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Whether this is "good" or "evil", it will be interesting to see how the metrics of illegal file sharing change.
    How many thousands of BT users decided not to launch their torrent client today?
    What will US traffic in bittorrent do over the coming weeks and months?
    Will NetFlix see an influx in business?
    Will the number of leaches and seeders of pirated content decrease?
    Take-away lesson? Buy NFLX and CMCSK...

  7. Just MPAA/RIAA? by PhxBlue · · Score: 4, Interesting

    So no one's bothering to monitor pirated software, right? Asking for a friend.

    --
    !#@%*)anks for hanging up the phone, dear.
  8. Re: First strike by ShaunC · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I've already seen similar shit in my area where an ISP claims you have a "virus" and pulls your plug if you use more data than your average grandma.

    This is actually a soft warning tactic I've encountered in many corporate and education scenarios. They'll identify folks using a lot of transit, and send them a notice along the lines of "hey, we noticed you're using a lot of bandwidth... Maybe you've got a virus or something?" These notices work particularly well in cases where someone's been found to be downloading gigs of porn on the office computer, etc. The user realizes he's being watched, says "yeah! that must be it! I gotta virus!" and suddenly the behavior stops.

    I'm not defending the ISP you mention, just saying this tactic is pretty common. It's their way of asking you to knock it off, without accusing you of anything.

    --
    Thanks to the War on Drugs, it's easier to buy meth than it is to buy cold medicine!
  9. Re:All bark, no bite by mlts · · Score: 4, Interesting

    There is also the fact that if people's subscriptions are cut, it will get people to do what ISPs fear, and that is to hit the VPN services. What CAS appears to do go after the "casual" user. However, if their account is on the line, they will be joining the ranks who are using encrypted tunnels for virtually all their communications..

    Once VPNs become a standard thing (just like antivirus programs), ISPs now lose all passive tools, and are forced to act in an active manner. I wouldn't be surprised to see some of the following as the next step:

    1: VPNs throttled or randomly disconnected. Throttling can be undetectable and it becomes a word against word argument with a quite uphill battle against the subscriber.

    2: Active prohibition of VPNs who don't log, with consequences to accounts due to TOS violations.

    3: A ban of VPNs altogether (Pakistan is doing this.)

    4: A requirement for subscriber machines to pass a "healthcheck" before being allowed on the Net. This "healthcheck" would require software that prohibits IP forwarding/masquerading/connections to VPN addresses.

    5: Similar to #4, except with mandated "anti-pirate" software. Picture an antivirus scanner, except for detecting VPN software, cracks, patches, P2P apps, and proxy software, shutting the computer down and phoning home if it is found.

    6: TPMs and trusted boot paths to make #4 and #5 work better, with automatic permanent blocking of the machine off the Net if tampered with.

    7: Another round of DMCA laws to support #4-6, and to further keep #1 from being provably detected.