Leak: Verizon 'six strikes' will throttle user connections
updated 05:51 pm EST, Fri January 11, 2013
Mandatory viewing of anti-piracy video part of measures
Details on how Verizon will allegedly implement its "six-strikes" anti-piracy policy, set to roll out this year, have surfaced online. Warnings, bandwidth throttling, and obligatory viewings of an anti-piracy video will be applied to connections of alleged infringers, before their IP address will be passed over to the MPAA and RIAA, in order for legal action to take place.
The first and second strikes will see users receive e-mail and voicemail warnings sent to users, including details on how to check for file sharing software on the computer, how to remove it, and how to find legal content, according to details received by Torrent Freak. The third and fourth warnings will force the user to a special web page where a "short video about copyright law and the consequences of copyright infringement" will be played, followed by a clickable button to acknowledge they have received the alert.
The fifth and sixth alerts automatically takes the user to another site, where three options will be offered. The user can agree to an immediate temporary 2 to 3-day penalty, reducing their connection speed to 256kbps, agree to the same reduction in speed but for it to be delayed by 14 days, or can pay a $35 fee for their alerts to be reviewed by the American Arbitration Association.
It is claimed that after the sixth strike, alerts will no longer appear on the user's system, and instead the IP address will be offered to the RIAA and MPAA, which could lead to a lawsuit against the user. It is also claimed that the “six strikes” policy will be applied to business customers as well as residential accounts, which could end up hurting retail environments that offer free Wi-Fi to their clientele.
The anti-piracy policy was originally set to begin in December last year, however damage from Hurricane Sandy affected testing schedules with Internet service providers and the Center for Copyright Information.
