Hurricane Sandy Delays Rollout of ISP Piracy Warnings Until 2013
The "six strikes" Copyright Alert System, which will provide notices to consumers if their ISP suspects there is illegal downloading going on, has been pushed to 2013 thanks to Hurricane Sandy.
Hurricane Sandy disrupted the lives of millions, cutting access to power and Internet services, as well as public transporation. But Sandy has now claimed another victim - the "Copyright Alert System," which will provide notices to consumers if their ISP suspects there is illegal downloading going on.
The Center for Copyright Information, which is coordinating the alert system, said in a Wednesday statement that the hurricane disrupted the effort's final testing stages, so the system's launch has been pushed to next year.
"Due to unexpected factors largely stemming from Hurricane Sandy which have seriously affected our final testing schedules, CCI anticipates that the participating ISPs will begin sending alerts under the Copyright Alert System in the early part of 2013, rather than by the end of the year," the group said.
On Oct. 18, CCI said the system "in the coming weeks." Hurricane Sandy made landfall on the East Coast on Oct. 29.
"We need to be sure that all of our 'I's are dotted and 'T's crossed before any company begins sending alerts, and we know that those who are following our progress will agree," CCI said this week.
"Our goal has always been to implement the program in a manner that educates consumers about copyright and peer-to-peer networks, encourages the use of legal alternatives, safeguards customer privacy, and provides an easy-to-use independent review program for consumers to challenge alerts they believe they've received in error," the group concluded.
The CAS was in July 2011. Many ISPs already provide warnings to users if sketchy behavior is detected, but the Copyright Alert System is intended to provide a standardized approach that all ISPs will use. Going forward, users will get a notice if they are suspected of illegal downloading. If they ignore that message, the ISP might resort to pop-ups or redirecting to special websites that display the alert. If those too are ignored, the ISP will turn to "mitigation measures," which could include throttling or requiring someone to review educational materials.
CCI said that it will not result in the loss of a customer's Internet service. "Contrary to many erroneous reports, this is not a 'six-strikes-and-you're-out' system that would result in termination. There's no 'strikeout' in this program," the organization said in October.
ISPs will be made aware of the illegal downloading via a notice from a copyright holder or its representative. Participating ISPs include AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable, and Verizon.
For more, see and .