Aussie ISP Scans Downloads For Copyright Violation

Steve Nakhla writes: "According to this article, Excite@Home has begun snooping users' downloads in order to find copyrighted or pirated material. Violators have their access cut off. As an Excite@home user, this alarms me. What exactly is their definition of copyrighted? Doesn't the New York Times copyright their online articles? Can I not view them any more for fear of violating Excite's policies?"

This post is copyrighted.

[exi7]

Therefore, by reading it, you will be arrested. Expect your service to be terminated any second now.

(c) exi7, 2001. All rights reserved.

That means they'll pay people

[SpanishInquisition]

to watch the porn we download.

I want one of these jobs.

Disconnect all /. viewers

[the_other_one]

This post is copyrighted by the_other_one.

You must purchase the right to read my posts or be cut off by your ISP.

My current rate is $200.00 CDN per character. Please email me the cash prior to reading.

access cut off??

[canning]

Why don't the Aussie's just give the guilty parties the boot? I saw it on T.V. once, it seemed to work.

*FWOOSH*

[Psarchasm]

Hear that? Thats the sound of a giant toilet flushing your privacy down the drain (counter-clockwise).

More Below

[NitsujTPU]

Oh yeah, and how can I capitalize on this?

Re:That means they'll pay people

[Anonymous Coward]

@Home guy talking on his cell phone to a friend:

"Yeah, I'm watching (insert porn title) for the 15th time today......
It just never gets old."

Re:ways around this crap?

[MadCow42]

>> just have the data encrypted when you send it

And then you can prosecute them under the DMCA for "circumventing a protection device" if they manage to decode it anyways.

Laugh... it's funny. q:]

MadCow.

Re:Here's a question...

[InigoMontoya(tm)]

If you're paying monthly, isn't that like renigging on a business contract...

I think the word you're looking for there is "reneging," from the same root as the word "renegade" and the verb "renege." "Renigging" isn't a word, and could potentially offend members of certain demographics.

That may be something you would want to keep in mind for the future... the word you used could get you into trouble (and with a little less justification than the teacher who used the actual legitimate word "niggardly" and got canned. Anyone know what happened to that teacher?)

Just thought I'd help you avoid any future legal trouble.

InigoMontoya(tm)

Re:Monitoring means assuming responsibility for us

[Anonymous Coward]

I've written a couple AUPs in my day

I hope you used a spill chuker.