Internet service providers Cablevision, Time Warner Cable, and Comcast have traditionally protected their users from spies and eavesdroppers. But a new alliance with Hollywood studios may lead to ISPs and media giants monitoring accounts together in an effort to combat piracy.
The Center for Copyright Information effort will implement a “graduated response plan” across all cable companies in the agreement. The ISPs can crack down on offending parties while sharing a standardized amount of blame since the companies will share the policy.
“The fact that they are all agreeing to participate makes it harder for any one company to win the disgruntled customers of those who have been disciplined by another,” reports CNN contributor Douglas Rushkoff. “But now that they’re free from individual blame, there’s also the strong possibility that the ISPs will be doing the data monitoring directly. That’s a much bigger deal.”
If companies begin directly tracking ISPs, they will open up numerous negative possibilities. Internet companies could use the software to track open networks and subsequently charge neighbors who tap into the network.
Also, users will lose their expectation of privacy when using the Internet. Privacy is especially important for users, such as doctors, who need to send sensitive information over their network. If cable companies begin to track user data and messages, people (and businesses) will consider hosting their Internet offshore.
“The risk of losing their ‘net [access] because someone accidentally streamed the wrong thing is a business prerogative significant enough to tunnel all their traffic to a country that provides sensible data privacy laws,” explains Internet security expert Josh Klein. “How much long after that until the rest of the company gets off-shored?”
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