Verizon to choke pirates' browsing speeds

US net firm Verizon has declared war on illegal downloaders, or pirates, who use technologies such as BitTorrent to steal copyrighted material.

Verizon has said it will first warn repeat offenders by email and voicemail. Then it will restrict or "throttle" their internet connection speeds.

Time Warner Cable, another US internet service provider (ISP) pledging to tackle piracy, says it will use pop-up warnings to deter repeat offenders.

After that it will restrict subscribers' web browsing activities by redirecting them to a landing page.

The moves come as part of a concerted effort by five major US ISPs - AT&T, Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable and Verizon - to bear down on illegal downloading and sharing of copyrighted material.

In September 2011, the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) teamed up with the ISPs to launch the Center for Copyright Information, a body dedicated to deterring copyright infringement and advising consumers on legal file sharing options.

:story: BBC News