ITIF Backs ISP's Six Strikes Warnings

Says antipiracy effort is small step, but better than status quo

By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 11/27/2012 11:49:32 AM

The Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, whose board members include executives at Intel, Apple and Qualcomm, has endorsed the ISP-backed "six strikes" initiative for educating/warning Web users about online piracy.

Calling digital piracy serious problem -- 25% of the bits on the Internet are infringing, according to the group -- ITIF labeled the effort a small step, but one that makes "considerable improvements over the status quo without altering due process or violating the privacy of lawful users."

The initiative, backed by major ISPs Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cablevision, AT&T and Verizon, through the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) consortium, consists of a series of alerts to customers when they illegally access content via peer-to-peer networks, with those alerts eventually warning of stronger ISP measures like slowing traffic or redirecting users who continue to infringe.

CCI executive director Jill Lesser has said that while consumers will get notice of the implementation, most consumers won't get alerts and may not be aware of the program because they are not engaging in peer-to-peer file sharing. The alerts are only about peer-to-peer sharing and not other types of piracy, although the effort could be expanded.