This has been building quietly in back rooms for a while and it now coming into the light. The top 5 US isp’s and the MPAA and others are now coming out with new “anti-piracy” policies The days of anyone being able to run free wifi are over without any kind of filters are coming to an end. Verizon isn’t the only one doing this…Comcast and the other 3 largest isp’s have VOLUNTARILY joined in on this as well. This isn’t even a government thing it is an alliance with the MPAA and others. Most folks would say,” they are only enforcing copyright”. That would be the truth if during court proceedings the content providers weren’t filing false accusations, withholding contrary evidence, and most times are just plain wrong about who did what where when. Verizon’s policy is in the following italicized text. Please read the linked article for the policies from other ISP’s that are int he pipeline. If you are a business or an individual offering free wifi you now have to put in the appropriate filters to protect yourself from probable legal action. Contact ECC for consultation on how to do this.
Alert 1 and 2
“Are delivered by email and automatic voicemail to the telephone number we have on file for you. Notify you that one or more copyright owners have reported that they believe your account has been involved in possible copyright infringement activity.”
“Provide a link to information on how to check to see if file sharing software is operating on your computer (and how to remove it) and tell you where to find information on obtaining content legally.”
If more infringements are found after the first two alerts then the account holder is moved on to the acknowledgment phase where “popups” appear on-screen. Customers will have to acknowledge that they received the new alert and will be instructed to watch a video about the consequences of online piracy.
Alert 3 and 4
“Redirect your browser to a special web page where you can review and acknowledge receiving the alerts. Provide a short video about copyright law and the consequences of copyright infringement.”
“Require you to click on an “acknowledgement” button before you will be able to freely browse the Internet. Clicking the acknowledgement button does not require you to admit that you or anyone else actually engaged in any infringing activity, only that you have received the alert.”
If the infringements continue after the fourth alert the subscriber will move on to the mitigation phase. Here, the customer can either ask for a review by the American Arbitration Association or undergo a temporary speed reduction to 256kbps.
Alert 5 and 6
“Redirect your browser to a special web page where you will be given several options. You can: Agree to an immediate temporary (2 or 3 day) reduction in the speed of your Internet access service to 256kbps (a little faster than typical dial-up speed); Agree to the same temporary (2 or 3 day) speed reduction but delay it for a period of 14 days; or Ask for a review of the validity of your alerts by the American Arbitration Association.”
via Verizon’s “Six Strikes” Anti-Piracy Measures Unveiled | TorrentFreak.