US ISP warns customers that torrenting could break their heating

[Len]

A US INTERNET provider has warned customers that if they torrent illegal content, then their heating may stop working.

Ridiculous as it sounds, there is a causality. Because the company is darn well gonna make one.

It works like this. ISPs have to be seen to be doing something about illegal file sharing on their networks or they will be in trouble with the FCC. So, it goes that Armstrong Cable, which has around one million customers in the North East of the US, has used a slightly roundabout threat in order to get repeat offenders in line, reports TorrentFreak.

"Please be advised that, if Armstrong receives additional notifications of infringement connected With your Zoom Internet Service, Armstrong will remove you from your current service level and place you at the lowest service level," the firm said.

"This will allow you to access email, but limit your speeds and affect your ability to upload or download material to the internet or use other file-sharing capabilities,"


So in other words, if you throttle their network with torrents, they'll throttle you back. But then, and this is the weird bit, it adds: "Please be advised that this may affect other services which you may have connected to your internet service such as the ability to control your thermostat remotely or video monitoring services,"

And they're not wrong. But it's kind of a weird thing to point out. Except, of course, it isn't - it's an example of the new smart world we live in and the fact that now, the internet has a direct effect on other aspects of how we live, meaning that threats to cut us off from it have far more teeth than they did.

The remedy is something like a speed awareness course. Customers who get throttled will be forced to read an article about copyright infringement and answer some questions on copyright. So it's not exactly solitary confinement, but they want to know you're taking it seriously.

And if you infringe again… you'll be kicked off their network. And then how will you remote control your thermostat? µ