Verizon Rejects Hollywood’s Call to Aid Piracy Fight

[dock98]

Verizon Rejects Hollywood’s Call to Aid Piracy Fight

By Saul Hansell

More often than not companies in similar positions have similar views. But when Hollywood asked the two big phone companies to help with its fight against piracy, they responded in opposite ways. AT&T, as we wrote, is talking about developing a system that would identify and block illicitly copied material being sent over its broadband network.

Verizon, however, opposes the concept. I spoke to Tom Tauke, Verizon’s executive vice president for public affairs, on the subject. He said the company’s view combines a concern for the privacy of its customers with self interest. It may be costly for it to get into the business of policing the traffic on its network. Indeed, phone companies have largely spent a century trying not to be liable for what people say over their lines.

“We generally are reluctant to get into the business of examining content that flows across our networks and taking some action as a result of that content,” he said.

read full article