AT&T are looking for ways to scan customers' communications for copyright violations According to Brad Stone of the New York Times.
If a panel discussion at CES regarding piracy is any indication, AT&T is working on developing network filtering technology that could be used to identify copyrighted content being uploaded or downloaded by subscribers to their internet service.
“What we are already doing to address piracy hasn’t been working. There’s no secret there,” said James Cicconi, senior vice president, external & legal affairs for AT&T.
He added, “We recognize we are not there yet but there are a lot of promising technologies. But we are having an open discussion with a number of content companies, including NBC Universal, to try to explore various technologies that are out there.”
NBC Universal (NBCU) Chief Counsel Rick Cotton, who made headlines last year when he decried the effects of piracy on popcorn farmers after claiming piracy isn't getting its share of government attention compared to crimes like robbery and burglary, was also on the panel.
“The volume of peer-to-peer traffic online, dominated by copyrighted materials, is overwhelming. That clearly should not be an acceptable, continuing status,” he said. “The question is how we collectively collaborate to address this.”
One thing Mr. Cicconi was apparently clear about is AT&T's concern about repeating mistakes that have been made by other companies in the past. “We’ve got to figure out a friendly way to do it, there’s no doubt about it,” he said.
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