Internet providers create six-strike policy to combat piracy

By Mike Flacy July 8, 2011

Image used with permission by copyright holder

In a move supported by movie studios, record labels and the Obama administration, Internet providers have banded together to form a universal policy that imposes penalties on illegal downloads. The system allows for six strikes on an account with warning levels. The process starts with emails that require acknowledgement from the account holder. If the warnings are completely ignored, the final strikes result in decreasing Internet speed and eventually a block on all Web browsing. The system also offers a dispute process for anyone who disagrees with the warnings at the cost of a $35 filing fee.

Rather than continued litigation from the RIAA and MPAA to seek monetary damages against file sharers, this policy prevents piracy by nagging consumers that download illegal files and eventually threatening service elimination. Under this new policy, the ISPs will not release subscriber names to movie studios or record labels. The National Cable & Telecommunications Association represents the ISPs that are adopting the policy, including Time Warner Cable, Comcast, Verizon, Cablevision and AT&T.

According to the National Cable & Telecommunications Association, this policy is also designed to educate the consumer about illegal downloads as well as Internet security. Data suggests that this type of education halts theft and causes consumers to take a closer look at securing wireless networks. For instance, parents receive notification when children download illegal content. The NCTA claims that piracy of content costs the U.S. economy $3 billion in tax revenue, $16 billion in earnings and nearly 400,000 jobs every year. Providing an alternative view, The Center for Democracy & Technology released a statement today that appreciated the educational aspect of the new policy, but shunned account suspension as a remedy for piracy.

This agreement between the five major Internet providers specifically targets BitTorrent users, as well as simple peer-to-peer software like the now defunct LimeWire. However, consumers who use online streaming portals or cyberlockers like Megaupload and MediaFire likely escape the new warnings due to the difficulty of tracking violations on those third-party services.

Topics

Contributing Editor

By day, I'm the content and social media manager for High-Def Digest, Steve's Digicams and The CheckOut on Ben's Bargains…

Computing

Dell’s XPS 13 for $599 deal is back, and who knows for how long

The Dell XPS 13 in front of a window.

Dell almost always has great laptop deals and for a little while now, it’s been selling an older model of the Dell XPS 13 for just $599. That deal continues today but we’re really not sure how long it’s going to stick around for. It feels like it must be ending very soon. The laptop usually costs $799 so you’re saving $200 but overall, this is a fantastic deal for the hardware involved. If you’re keen to learn more before the deal ends, keep reading.

Why you should buy the Dell XPS 13
Dell is one of the best laptop brands out there so you simply can’t go wrong with purchasing from it. With this model, you get a 12th-generation Intel Core i5-1230U processor along with 8GB of memory and 256GB of SSD storage. There’s also a 13.4-inch full HD+ screen with 1920 x 1200 resolution, 500 nits of brightness, and anti-glare properties. That’s fairly standard stuff at this price but it’s the build quality of the Dell XPS 13 which makes it stand out so much.

Computing

M4 vs. M3: How much better are Apple’s latest chips?

An official rendering of the Apple M4 chip.

Apple has announced the M4 chip, its successor to the M3 that’s currently found in a bunch of Macs and iPads. The M3 is an excellent chip and a real leap above the M2 that came before it, so the question is whether the M4 can manage a similar feat.

Right now, the M4 is only in the iPad Pro, and that means information about how good it is and what it does is rather limited. But if you’re interested in finding out more, you’re in luck, as we’ve gathered up everything we know about Apple’s M4 chip and compared it side by side with the M3. If you want to learn more about Apple’s next chip -- and how it compares to the M3 -- read on.
Where can you find these chips?

Computing

iMac deals: New, renewed and refurbished iMac computers

Apple iMac with Retina 5K Display review close

If you're in the Apple ecosystem and need a desktop computer rather than something like a MacBook, then you'll want to go for the Apple iMac, which is one of the best all-in-one computers on the market. There are quite a few screen sizes and specs to pick from, and if you're willing to go for a renewed option, you can get some older yet still powerful iMacs for a great price with desktop deals. Even if you aren't, there are still some great Apple deals you can take advantage of to save yourself some money, which is why we went out and scoured the internet for the best deals we could find. If you need something portable, check out MacBook deals. For extra savings, check out refurbished MacBook deals.
Apple 21.5-inch iMac (2018) Renewed -- $409, was $460

Even cheaper than any of the MacBook deals going on, this Apple 21.5-inch iMac (2018) might be a few years old but it offers plenty of juice for the price. That's the beauty behind many iMacs -- they last a long time thanks to offering reliable hardware and the benefits of MacOS, which tends to mean they stay fast for awhile. In the case of the 2018 21.5-inch iMac, you get a 2.7GHz Quad-Core Intel Core i5 processor paired up with 16GB of memory which is a great set of specs for ensuring you can get plenty of work done.