US ISP to crack down hard on copy infringers
02 Jan 2018
One US ISP has warned copyright infringers that if they do not stop pirating, they may see the smart thermostats devices lose some functionality.
Armstrong Zoom Internet, which counts around one million subscribers recently sent out letters to a number of users accused of copyright infringement, like other ISPs have done in the past.
The notices warn that further instances of offenses would result in consequences, including removal of the accused from their current service tier and placing them at the lowest level.
''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,'' explains the note.
According to commentators, slow internet speeds sound like sufficient reason keep away from the torrents, but Zoom has warned that other connected services could also suffer.
"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.''
According to commentators, the ISP is not threatening to disable owners' smart thermostats completely, but the reduced service could end up preventing remote operation, which is used by many people, especially during the winter.
They add, putting people on a dial-up internet will prevent smart thermostats or home security systems from working properly.
