AfterDawn: News

AT&T to develop anti-piracy technology

AT&T has announced plans to step up efforts against Internet piracy being carried out on its network. The company will work closely with Hollywood movies studios and record companies to produce technology that can identify offshore content pirates that upload thousands of illegal files through AT&T's network. Privacy advocates have already voiced concerns about the plans, particularly because of how little details have been given on how it operates.

"What we're trying to do here is see if we can devise a technology that can address the problem," James W. Cicconi, AT&T's senior executive vice president of external and legislative affairs, said. "Then we'll have to address the legal issues that flow out of using such a technology." Cicconi acknowledged that AT&T's interests have become more aligned with content providers.



AT&T offers its own television service to consumers to compete with cable and satellite providers (and also Verizon Communications Inc.). "We've been considering these issues of piracy, and we do feel the interests of our shareholders are aligned with the interests of the content community," Cicconi said. "We very much have a stake, as they do, in trying to stem illegal appropriation of that content."

Source:
Yahoo (AP)

Written by: James Delahunty @ 16 Jun 2007 16:31

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• 17 comments

• akaangus

  Quote:We've been considering these issues of piracy, and we do feel the interests of our shareholders are aligned with the interests of the content communityWhat about the interests of your CUSTOMERS, the people who WHEN they leave will make you bankrupt?
  
  Edit: I just noticed their slogan is Your World. Delivered.
  
  If they start censoring content like this you could probably sue for false advertising

  16.6.2007 17:56 #1

• spydah

  At&t to damn confused. They even know who the hell they want to be. How in the hell can they make a anti-piracy product when they dont even know who the hell they are. They will be some other company tomorrow. They go in and out of business more then the average person changes their undies.

  16.6.2007 19:53 #2

• fgamer

  This doesn't seem like a smart move if you ask me, the only thing that can arise from this is AT&T losing customers. They need to keep in mind consumers have other alternatives and choices other than AT&T's new invasion of privacy or "anti-piracy technology." Once word gets around that AT&T is creating this new technology to be ran on their service I think they may shoot themselfs in the foot and really cost themselfs a hefty price for not being loyal to the people that got them where they are...the consumers.

  16.6.2007 21:40 #3

• sdsunjay

  wut does at&t havta be worried about. p2p doesnt affect them. also by dealing with this they will just get pulled into more lawsuits. those people just enjoy wasting money.

  16.6.2007 22:07 #4

• georgeluv

  Originally posted by sdsunjay:wut does at&t havta be worried about. p2p doesnt affect them. also by dealing with this they will just get pulled into more lawsuits. those people just enjoy wasting money.they make way more money if they sell a cable package to your home in adition to that internet line. they make money off local advertising, plus at&t is trying realy REALY hard to break into the content market (the idiots think they can do it better than youtube, or be a youtube that is its own tv station, or... something, who knows, at&t is a behemoth of a conglomorate, so you know whatever they come up with will totaly blow and cost way too much).
  
  it works like this; isp/cable provider blocks all pirated content going threw its servers > users can no longer get movies or tv shows or music online for free > increase in purchases of pay per view and premium chanels > more money for at&t. plus that whole trying to retain control of the market thing.
  
  bottom line, there is nothing to worry about, everyone will throw a shit fit the day they log onto the net and that dvd.avi direct download link stops working. america will never stand for full-on corporate sponcerd censorship.

  17.6.2007 07:48 #5

• windsong

  So in essence, what they're saying is "we're going to give it to you nice and hard, but we won't use the lube...we'll keep it on the shelf for you to see while you are getting pounded by us".

  17.6.2007 09:33 #6

• AXT

  Ha. As soon as my contract expires (so i would not be charged with an early termination fee) i will consider switching providers, maybe verison or time warner. I did not sign up with ATT but with SBC.

  17.6.2007 10:42 #7

• sdsunjay

  lol. yea i get what your saying georgeluv. but ur right At&t will never stop p2p. its stupid of them to try and if they succeed they will loose business. wut a joke they r becoming.

  17.6.2007 15:00 #8

• al_he_79

  i guess at&t will loose bunch of customers specially the ones that download music and movies for safety only

  17.6.2007 16:46 #9

• fgamer

  Originally posted by windsong:So in essence, what they're saying is "we're going to give it to you nice and hard, but we won't use the lube...we'll keep it on the shelf for you to see while you are getting pounded by us". Ewwwwwwwwwww

  17.6.2007 20:04 #10

• RuPtUrE

  At&T is full of shit!!! I had their service and it blows. I rather pay another 15 bucks more for 300kbps with time warner cable which is 50 bucks. Im sure Time warner cable will stick to what the consumers want which is free upload and download bandwith. If they cap their customers they will simply go broke. Now think about it At&T... Its bad enough you lost home land lines to cell phone companies...Such as me...Which i at one point had a house phone and now have I have a mobile phone....Just think. You lost me as a customer and your about to lose more peeps now as an internet provider..I Love it....

  17.6.2007 21:50 #11

• Rosetta

  its all BS totally.
  
  but with the customers they lose, how much money will they make selling this software to companies who want to protect their products. they could have these companies by the short and curlies and charge a mother load for the initial software and continually charge for support and development. perhaps at&a dont mind losing a customer or two if they can gain the likes of RIAA and MPAA into contracts.
  
  at the end of they day they aren't daft. they have a plan and aren't trying to alientate their current clientel unless its in their benefit. still though the whole thing is BS and certaily could change provider even if i didnt download, i would refuse someone making that decision for me lol

  18.6.2007 06:30 #12

• wingding

  You need to read the story again it says uploads from off shore. If you have ever done a trace on your IP & see how many hops it makes most through AT&T. If you read the news this technology has existed for many years and mainly used by the spook side of our goverment. More than likely designed by Bell Labs.

  21.6.2007 07:59 #13

• jimnesie

  This is so bogus. First of all, a week after they release their wiz-bang anti piracy program, it will be compromised. When will these egotistical jerks realize that no one has a monopoly on brains?
  
  It also seems that there are more ways to download binaries than these idiots have time to plug.
  
  Any of their subscribers who want to download binaries will switch ISP's.
  
  Bottom line, this is a lot of garbage.

  21.6.2007 10:58 #14

• borhan9

  It always comes back to how long will it take for hackers to break the protection. :)

  21.6.2007 17:00 #15

• plazma247

  Cant wait for the OH look our anti piracy messures appeared to have crippled all VOIP services apart from our own...
  
  ... we are looking very closely at the matter....... blah blah

  22.6.2007 12:25 #16

• svnight

  sdsunjay makes a good point.

  20.10.2007 01:50 #17