CCI Claims Six Strikes Working Great To Thwart Piracy, Offers Absolutely No Evidence To Support That Claim

Copyright

from the hard-data-is-optional dept

It has been about a year since the Center for Copyright Information (CCI) launched the United States’ “six strikes” anti-piracy notification system with the help of the nation’s largest ISPs. The service varies slightly by ISP, with carriers either briefly throttling your connection or temporarily locking you behind a “click through” walled garden unless you acknowledge receipt of some “educational” materials on copyright (not surprisingly, concepts like fair use are excluded). Any costs of this additional ISP clerical work are obviously passed on to broadband subscribers.

Since launch there has been absolutely no data released on how many people have been sent warnings, how many people have proceeded through all of the layers, and no consumer feedback has been shared on their experiences with the program. ISPs refuse to talk whatsoever about the program, and we’ve seen absolutely no data on how effective the program’s appeals systems for the falsely accused (who have to pay $35 for the honor of protesting their innocence) have been.

As such, the CCI has announced that they’re very happy to declare that the program has been a smashing success at thwarting piracy, with absolutely no data to back those suggestions up whatsoever:

“A national effort to crack down on Internet piracy through a “six strikes” system is seeing success, according to the program’s director…Jill Lesser, who runs the system as manager of the Center for Copyright Information, said fears about the system were misplaced…”It’s a non-punitive system” that is “intended to be education-based,” Lesser told The Hill in an interview…There were “early examples of positive feedback,” said Lesser said, adding that she hopes more analysis will show that Internet providers sent out more first and second notices and fewer fifth and sixth notices, which would demonstrate that users stopped sharing infringing content.”

Yes, your fears have been misplaced and the program is clearly working, and to prove it, the only evidence we’ll offer you is — our claim that your fears have been misplaced and the program is clearly working. While the CCI hasn’t been willing to release any data, traffic headed to BitTorrent networks has either remained static or increased, and overall shared files on websites like The Pirate Bay have increased. One problem CCI will face when trying to show data (should that actually ever happen) on the program is that many BitTorrent users have simply moved toward BitTorrent proxy and VPN services in order to hide themselves from the watchful eye of their ISPs. Those users would show up as no longer being copyright infringers, when in reality they’d simply be hiding their network behavior.

It’s not a stretch to imagine that whatever data gets released, it will somehow magically show that the program is not only a smashing success, but that the entertainment industry is justified in expanding it further. As it stands, nothing happens to users after the sixth strike, and nobody tracks users who move from ISP to ISP. As such, it’s only a matter of time before more great ideas get introduced. How about a ban on VPNs and proxies? How about a taxpayer-funded organization that tracks offenders across ISPs? Fines for those who reach the sixth level? Our non-transparent data clearly shows that all these things are necessary. Trust us.

Filed Under: copyright, piracy, six strikes, throttling
Companies: cci