In the coming months, US Internet Service Providers will add a controversial new weapon to their anti-piracy armoury. 

The Copyright Alert System (CAS) offers a gradiated series of warnings to users accused of illegal file-sharing. The system has been devised by the Center For Copyright Infringement (CCI), an anti-piracy body involving five major US ISPs, the Recording Industry Association of America, and the Motion Picture Associaiotn of America, amongst others.

Under the system, an alert appears on-screen when internet users are first caught downloading or sharing copyrighted material. The messages are initially “educational”, filling in users on the potential consequences of breaking copyright law. If the user persists in filesharing activities, the message are upgraded to “acknowledgement” alerts, which force the reader to click a link confirming they have read the message.

Further offences will result in ‘mitigation measures’, which include temporary slow-downs of access speed or further viewing of educational materials. The CCI have stressed that the system won’t lead to users having their internet access cut-off, claiming that there’s “no “strikeout” in this program”.

As PC Advisor report, questions have been raised about the scheme. Under the system, content owners are responsible for monitoring and reporting illegal file sharing activity to the CCI.  As a result, some concerns have been expressed about the possibility that the CCI won’t be able to accurately distinguish between legitimate and erroneous claims by content owners. Subscribers will allegedly also have a very narrow time window to counteract accusations of illegal activity