AT&T to randomly search personal files
AT&T announced its plans of attempting to thwart the traffic of pirated content on its networks raising eyebrows from personal-privacy-minded folks. How exactly does AT&T plan on stopping the exchange of pirated files?
AT&T Inc. has joined Hollywood studios and recording companies in trying to keep pirated films, music and other content off its network — the first major carrier of Internet traffic to do so.
The San Antonio-based company started working last week with studios and record companies to develop anti-piracy technology that would target the most frequent offenders, said James W. Cicconi, an AT&T senior vice president.
The nation’s largest telephone and Internet service provider also operates the biggest cross-country system for handling Internet traffic for its customers and those of other providers.
Bottom-line? AT&T is in bed with Hollywood trading dirty little secrets which may eventually come knocking at your front door. Quick! Destroy those hardrives!
Nowhere in the summary, or the original article, does it say anything at all about AT&T searching users’ personal files. I don’t know how that would even be possible.
JASON – that’s personal files that you may be sharing over the internet, or personal conversations you may be having over IM or voip, or basically anything you do online. Yes, AT&T’s algorithm’s are going to be scanning your family photos, your late nite web browsing, your P2P downloads, and everything else you do.
But – if you’re not doing anything “wrong” you have nothing to be afraid of.
Huzzah for progress!