Three Strikes and You’re Off the Internet

Illegal copying in some form is undertaken by 96 per cent of 18 to 24-year-olds surveyed, falling to 89 per cent of those aged 14-17.

And now if the RIAA or MPAA decide for reasons they don’t really have to explain to anybody that you’re a really naughty pirate, your days of surfing the internet could be over!

Participating ISPs are given plenty of choices on how to respond to the toughest cases. They can select from a “menu” of responses outlined in the plan, such as throttling down an accused customer’s bandwidth speed or limit their access to the Web. For example, a suspected pirate may be allowed to visit only the top 200 Web sites until the illegal file sharing stops. The subscriber may also be required to participate in a program that educates them on copyright law and the rights of content creators. In the past, a graduated response was also supposed to lead to a complete termination of service for chronic file sharers.

But…

Kicking someone off a network is not required under the proposed agreement, the sources said.

Hurrah?

And of course and as always our Dear Leader is fighting for the corporations.

White House Helps Shepherd Deal

In addition to the NCTA, the White House was also instrumental in encouraging the parties [RIAA, MPAA, and the ISP’s] to reach an agreement, the sources confirmed. President Obama has said intellectual property is important to the country’s economy and has vowed to step up the fight against piracy and counterfeiting.

This plan was hatched way back in 2008 by yet another “Democratic friend of the little guy,” former New York State Attorney General and now Governor of New York Andrew Cuomo.

Under the plan, which was brokered by New York State Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, the music industry will not know the customer’s identity. What this means is that ISPs have now gone into the enforcement business, and this has always been one of the greatest fears of those who have wanted ISPs to remain neutral.

“This is very troubling,” said Cindy Cohn, legal director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that advocates for Internet rights. “Creating lists of people who can’t get Internet access based on allegations of breaking a law that hasn’t been evaluated in a court of law.

“Lists of people who can’t get Internet access based on allegations of breaking a law that hasn’t been evaluated in a court of law!”

No due process! No appeal!

Welcome to the future.