AT&T Ignores Numerous Pitfalls, Begins Kicking Pirates Off Of The Internet

AT&T Ignores Numerous Pitfalls, Begins Kicking Pirates Off Of The Internet

6 years ago
Anonymous $L9wC17otzH

https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20181107/07115441001/att-ignores-numerous-pitfalls-begins-kicking-pirates-off-internet.shtml

We've noted for years how kicking users offline for copyright infringement is a terrible idea for a myriad of reasons. Severing access to what many deem an essential utility is not only an over-reaction to copyright infringement, but a potential violation of free speech. As France quickly learned it's also a technical nightmare to implement. Most pirates hide their traffic behind proxies and VPNs, and even if you kick repeat offenders offline, you then need systems to somehow track them between ISPs. There's also the fact that entertainment industry accusations of guilt are often based on flimsy to nonexistent evidence.

None of this is stopping AT&T, which this week quietly indicated they were going to start kicking some users off the internet for copyright infringement for the first time in the company's history.