Author Topic: Major ISPs to implement "Six strike" rule (Read 35,720 times)

wraith808 · « **on:** October 10, 2012, 02:43 AM »

The USA's major internet service providers by year’s end will institute a so-called six-strikes plan, the “Copyright Alert System” initiative backed by the Obama administration and pushed by Hollywood and the major record labels to disrupt and possibly terminate internet access for online copyright scofflaws.

The plan, now four years in the making, includes participation by AT&T, Cablevision Systems, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon. After four offenses, the historic plan calls for these residential internet providers to initiate so-called “mitigation measures” (.pdf) that might include reducing internet speeds and redirecting a subscriber’s service to an “educational” landing page about infringement.

If you download a lot through torrents, you might want to consider getting an VPN account. TorrentFreak has a good article on which VPN hosts that do not track ther users

http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-providers-really-take-anonymity-seriously-111007/

More information (where I borrowed most of this post from:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2012/10/isp-file-sharing-monitoring/

Renegade · « **Reply #1 on:** October 10, 2012, 03:01 AM »

I'll vouch for Privacy.io. Very good. I've been using it for quite a while, and it's been very good. The OpenVPN option is very nice as well. (If anyone wants to use it, please use my referral link here. I could use a free month or whatever they have.

I posted a bit on VPNs here.) I recommended Privacy.io to a friend who is using it now, and he's similarly had no problems. You will have a slow down in speeds, but that is simply the nature of using a VPN. (I've used others as well, and Privacy.io is at the top of my list of the ones I've used.)

The Torrent Freak link there is excellent. Great article.

As for this 6-strike business... sigh... I wish the MAFIAA would just get with the program and pull their asses out of the last century.

wraith808 · « **Reply #2 on:** October 10, 2012, 03:46 AM »

How much of a slowdown is it? One of the major reasons I haven't worried about it (and I don't torrent either, so not a big deal there). I just hear about the false positives, and that's the major reason I'm looking (in addition to being able to connect to home while I'm out).

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #3 on:** October 10, 2012, 05:45 AM »

Quote from: wraith808 on October 10, 2012, 03:46 AM

How much of a slowdown is it? One of the major reasons I haven't worried about it (and I don't torrent either, so not a big deal there). I just hear about the false positives, and that's the major reason I'm looking (in addition to being able to connect to home while I'm out).

I look at news Combo style. Combine this with that PA trial where the judge "wants to know if IP = person". Cue the cynicism, if they manage another gamey trial, even going to youtube could become dangerous because you are viewing "unauthorized content". (Pay no attention to the secret accounts uploading that content.)

Renegade · « **Reply #4 on:** October 10, 2012, 06:03 AM »

It's not too bad. It depends on a lot of factors, so there's no real number that I can give you.

From SpeedTest.net:

With VPN:
Down: 1.61 Mbps
Up: 0.54 Mbps

Without VPN:
Down: 7.66 Mbps
Up: 0.83 Mbps

Now, a 7.66 Mbps speed is total bullshit. I NEVER see anything remotely that fast. At BEST, I've seen 1.2 Mbps or so. Usually less. The connection here is pretty sad.

But, it gives a ballpark. The UP speed is probably a better indicator.

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #5 on:** October 10, 2012, 10:05 AM »

Does anyone know if there are any good US VPN services that I could use to access content which is geo restricted?

nudone · « **Reply #6 on:** October 10, 2012, 10:56 AM »

I'm using PrivateInternetAccess https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/ which seemed the best choice out of the comparison chart I looked at http://torrentfreak.com/which-vpn-providers-really-take-anonymity-seriously-111007/

Reasons for choosing them: no records kept, pay anonymously via Bitcoins (a bit of a convoluted process but worth the trouble), low cost, seems reliable.

I use it with OpenVPN and VPNCheck Pro - programs are monitored and disabled/enabled depending on whether the VPN is really connected.

@Carol, I can test PrivateInternetAccess out with the geo restricted sites if you let me know what they are (their service provides several global locations to choose from).

Carol Haynes · « **Reply #7 on:** October 10, 2012, 11:21 AM »

Thanks nudone - not sure at the moment - some video streaming sites but thinking about it if they are geo restricted I probably won't be able to sign up anyway as they will need a US address. I will have a think about it and PM you if I figure it out!

40hz · « **Reply #8 on:** October 10, 2012, 12:09 PM »

Said it before, I'll say it again: Boycott.

The only way to win this battle is to reject big media's content and pursue alternatives to it - not try to find ways to get around their blockades and rules. Once they feel the hit to their pocketbook, their attitude (of necessity) will change.

Of course that won't be before they first lean on Congress for government subsidies to make up for the losses they just know are still being caused by piracy rather than a drop in demand. (They can use the money they free up when they finally ditch PBS for that.) But the whole house of cards Big Media built must (and will) inevitably come tumbling down. Look what happened to the old US mining and railroad companies. And they had guns and police more directly at their disposal during those battles.

[attachthumb=#]

This showdown is going to occur. Sooner or later it has to happen. Might as well get it out of the way before the mites have time to burrow in even deeper.

wraith808 · « **Reply #9 on:** October 10, 2012, 12:39 PM »

So, how do people have their connections set up for VPN? Connection sharing through a central computer? Or some other setup?

Renegade · « **Reply #10 on:** October 10, 2012, 12:46 PM »

Quote from: 40hz on October 10, 2012, 12:09 PM

Said it before, I'll say it again: Boycott.

The only way to win this battle is to reject big media's content and pursue alternatives to it - not try to find ways to get around their blockades and rules. Once they feel the hit to their pocketbook, their attitude (of necessity) will change.

OH! OH! OH! OH! I know the answer to this one~!

[attachthumb=#]

Watch amazing documentaries and videos from authors that WANT you to share them and ENCOURAGE you to share them! There are lots out there!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQiW_l848t8

http://www.youtube.com/user/TragedyandHopeMag?feature=CAQQwRs%3D

Lots of good viewing there.

I have gigs and gigs and gigs of videos like that.

While I don't always buy the film, I do quite often. I also pass them around for other people, just like they ASK me to.

Like seriously... these people put out some fantastic films and make so much available for FREE! Then POLITELY ASK YOU TO SHARE IT!

Other than a browser, a YouTube video downloader and a torrent client are all you need to stack up on enough videos to keep you busy for a llllooooonnnnnnggggg time. (Lots of good videos on Vimeo as well, and more on Blip.tv.)

A lot of the time you're encouraged to burn CDs or DVDs of videos and pass them around!

If you can't find anything interesting to watch for free, you're either not looking, or... well... let's just leave it at that.

No need for me to get all cynical now, eh?

40hz · « **Reply #11 on:** October 10, 2012, 01:43 PM »

Quote from: Renegade on October 10, 2012, 12:46 PM

If you can't find anything interesting to watch for free, you're either not looking, or... well...

... you're just not looking.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #12 on:** October 10, 2012, 02:27 PM »

In one sense all this would go away if we had a grassroots movement to make stuff Creative Commons etc. Except corner cases, the minute you make something BY-SA the problem basically goes away. But part of the current partial victory of the copyright brigade is making CC seem somehow second class. I mean, there's Pro-copyleft/_____ sites out there, and on the bottom says "Copyright ____, All Rights Reserved". (Really?! Copyleft for everyone but you?!)

40hz · « **Reply #13 on:** October 10, 2012, 03:26 PM »

I'm a great admirer of Creative Commons. But the simple truth is that CC is second class. Both under law and in fact.

Copyright exists under federal statute. CC doesn't have a similar status.

The creator of a work has automatic legal copyright under US law. The creator may choose not to assert his/her rights under copyright law. And he/she may also choose to license (which is not the same thing as copyright) their work under whatever model they wish. But simply putting a work under CC does not make the copyright legally "go away" or otherwise invalidate it.

A creator of a work holds copyright on their original works whether they want it or not. The courts have been very clear on that point. Interestingly, that issue first came up when somebody (who was allegedly in violation of a CC license) argued in court that putting a work under CC waived the author's right to copyright - and then went on to also argue that CC was not legally binding.

The court said (and it's since been affirmed in several other cases) that CC is legally binding and enforceable under contract law. And even if it weren't, the author still held legal copyright for the work under US statute regardless of any supplemental assignment or licensing arrangement they elected to release the work under. And furthermore, copyright was not something the author could legally waive even if they wanted to do so.

You create something - you've got copyright under federal law. Period. If you want to also put it under CC, that's your business.

Even putting something into public domain is really just irrevocably assigning the copyright to the general public for free use. It doesn't invalidate or negate the original copyright itself. The copyright only goes away when it expires under statute - which (in the USA) is generally the lifetime of the creator plus 70 years. Or when something gets put into public domain, in which case it 'expires' immediately.

Renegade · « **Reply #14 on:** October 10, 2012, 03:41 PM »

Quote from: 40hz on October 10, 2012, 03:26 PM

The copyright only goes away when it expires under statute - which (in the USA) is generally the lifetime of the creator plus 70 years. Or when something gets put into public domain, in which case it 'expires' immediately.

I thought it was "How old is Mickey Mouse? Add 50 years to that."

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #15 on:** October 10, 2012, 03:53 PM »

Sure 40hz, that's a good description of the problem, and most of what I was getting at. So taking the easy example, someone makes a funny cat picture, they have the automatic copyright, it goes viral, 'cuz tha internetz Likez doing that, and then you have 666,000 cases of copyright infringement.

So I suggested CC because it's the most famous of the alternatives, but 666,000 people "hoping" that the Cat-Picture-Creator-Guy isn't a jerk is just asking for trouble. That's what I feel needs an answer - some easy method to take the "implied" license (which one? SA without even a BY?) and make it obvious, and make it stick in court.

40hz · « **Reply #16 on:** October 10, 2012, 04:10 PM »

^Good luck. Way too much money to be made behind a copyright - and no money at all behind a CC (even with all its wonderful variations.)

I think we can both deduce where it's gonna go. Even if the guy with the cat photo isn't a complete jerk at first, he may not remain so once an enterprising IP attorney starts filling his head with visions of easy millions to be made by becoming one...if you'll just sign here please.

"So it goes," as Kurt once said.

TaoPhoenix · « **Reply #17 on:** October 10, 2012, 04:30 PM »

Quote from: 40hz on October 10, 2012, 04:10 PM

"So it goes," as Kurt once said.

As in Kurt Vonnegut. I believe that was in the Dangerous Visions anthology. Much more starts to get NSFW.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #18 on:** October 10, 2012, 04:39 PM »

Quote from: 40hz on October 10, 2012, 04:10 PM

Even if the guy with the cat photo isn't a complete jerk at first, he may not remain so once an enterprising IP attorney starts filling his head with visions of easy millions to be made by becoming one...if you'll just sign here please.

...And that's why it should be legal to shoot them.

40hz · « **Reply #19 on:** October 10, 2012, 04:50 PM »

Quote from: Stoic Joker on October 10, 2012, 04:39 PM

Quote from: 40hz on October 10, 2012, 04:10 PM
Even if the guy with the cat photo isn't a complete jerk at first, he may not remain so once an enterprising IP attorney starts filling his head with visions of easy millions to be made by becoming one...if you'll just sign here please.

...And that's why it should be legal to shoot them.

Works for me.

SeraphimLabs · « **Reply #20 on:** October 10, 2012, 05:00 PM »

And the best part is nobody is going to know this is taking place until they have ALREADY been slammed by it.

The obvious solution?

Get into something crafty, and register a business selling handmade crafts in your choice of materials.

Then you can use that business to register a business-type internet service, which would understandably have to be exempt from this 6-strike rule because no company can guarantee that their network won't be abused no matter how much big brother setup they use. I know it would be a real fuss where I work if the internet got cut off for more than a few hours, and even as strict as I can be when managing their IT affairs I have little doubt that people still use it for unrelated access.

But in all seriousness, I make a point of not buying any media at all unless I've seen or heard at least clips of it before and found it interesting. Which means if they raise a fuss about copyright even in fanworks like AMVs and screenshot galleries, they will most certainly lose sales because I will no longer find out about their products and be interested in buying them. As it is, I've heard about a solid 6 items in the past month alone that I will never buy because I could not find clips of them to see if I like them or not.

40hz · « **Reply #21 on:** October 10, 2012, 05:29 PM »

Quote from: Renegade on October 10, 2012, 03:41 PM

Quote from: 40hz on October 10, 2012, 03:26 PM
The copyright only goes away when it expires under statute - which (in the USA) is generally the lifetime of the creator plus 70 years. Or when something gets put into public domain, in which case it 'expires' immediately.

I thought it was "How old is Mickey Mouse? Add 50 years to that."

Nope. That was just for Micky Mouse by special Congressional action.

Actually, it's the 1998 Copyright Term Extension Act that upped 'corporate authorship' copyright protections from 75 to 120 years after creation - or 95 years after first publication, whichever is older.

It also upped authorship by real human beings from "author's life+50" years to "author's life+70 years."

Unlike similar extension legislation passed in the EU, the US act did not revive copyrights that had already expired at the time the act became law.

Trivia: the bill was introduced by former pop singer turned congressman Sonny Bono. Looks like what he said was true: "I got you Babe!"

superboyac · « **Reply #22 on:** October 10, 2012, 05:44 PM »

getting convinced more and more to move to linux and stuff.

Stoic Joker · « **Reply #23 on:** October 10, 2012, 06:10 PM »

Quote from: superboyac on October 10, 2012, 05:44 PM

getting convinced more and more to move to linux and stuff.

Linux?!? ...Not even close to a solution. Christ man at this point we need to change planets!

Remember the "Beam me up Scotty - No intelligent life here" T-shirts from the 80's? Well...

[HHGTTG mode]
...it's time to hit the big green button under the words Don't Panic and get the hell off this crazy assed rock.
[/HHGTTG mode]

wraith808 · « **Reply #24 on:** October 10, 2012, 11:46 PM »

Send a message to the ISPs about backing down from the rule:

http://act.demandprogress.org/letter/six_strikes/