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Piracy Notices Can Mess With Your Thermostat, ISP Warns (torrentfreak.com)

Posted by msmash on from the taking-up-a-notch dept.

U.S. Internet provider Armstrong has warned persistent pirates on its network of limiting their access to the thermostats if they didn't play by its rules. From a report: Our attention was caught by a recent letter the company sent to one of its users. The ISP points out that it received multiple copyright infringement notices, urging the customer to stop, or else. [...] While reduced Internet speeds are bad enough, there's another scary prospect. The reduced service level may also prevent subscribers from controlling their thermostat remotely. Not ideal during the winter. "Please be advised that this may affect other services which you may have connected to your internet service, such as the ability to control your thermostat remotely or video monitoring services." Accused pirates who want their full service restored, and regain control over their thermostats, have to answer some copyright questions and read an educational piece about copyright infringement.

5 of 242 comments (clear)

  1. This is why we need net neutrality by ugen · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Your internet provider is a conduit on which multiple services rely. It cannot and should not, by law, be used to control or limit access, or police content either of it's own accord or upon request of external parties.

    Of course, personally, I am strongly against connecting any devices (other than computers) in my home to the outside facing network, but that's beside the point.

    1. Re:This is why we need net neutrality by JaredOfEuropa · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Maybe not so much net neutrality (although we need that too), but more of a case to start treating ISPs like utilities, with strict rules on how and why your service may be suspended.

      --
      If construction was anything like programming, an incorrectly fitted lock would bring down the entire building...
    2. Re:This is why we need net neutrality by phalse+phace · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Net neutrality does not mean you get to copy copyrighted material. If you do that, stop having an iot thermostat.

      But the ISP would be cutting off your internet connection merely because the copyright holder thinks you're pirating their material.

      What happened to innocent until proven guilty?

      How do we know the copyright holder isn't making a mistake?

      Falsely Accused ‘Pirate’ Wins $101,000 in Attorney Fees

      Grandma endures wrongful ISP piracy suspension

  2. Singular points of failure. by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Sure, a single point of failure is outside of your control may fail but four single points of failure stacked atop each other (power/network hardware/ISP/server) is a recipe for disaster.

    --
    Anons need not reply. Questions end with a question mark.
  3. "Smart" devices by Thad+Boyd · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The good news is that consumers appear to be getting the message that "smart" devices are dangerous; from what I've read, sales are way down. Security vulnerabilities are the most obvious issue, but there's also stuff like this (the vendor fucking with you for unrelated reasons) and the question of long-term support.

    Heating and cooling can be matters of life and death. I wouldn't entrust them to the Internet. (Monitoring them, sure, but not controlling them.)