It's no secret that piracy is back in a big way, and while prosecution for pirating TV is exceptionally rare, it looks like media companies in the US are trying to at least make piracy a lot more inconvenient for the estimated millions of people in the country who access content illegally.
Tech companies and civil liberties groups are against this
Your ISP shouldn't be the Internet police
Plenty of groups have expressed concern about a ruling that would enable this new policy, including tech giants like Google and X, public-interest groups, and the American Civil Liberties Union. Many of these entities have said that turning Internet Service Providers into watchdogs for piracy would come will all kinds of privacy concerns, and absolute enforcement could bring down Wi-Fi at hospitals, universities, military bases, libraries, or any other public Wi-Fi where one person’s alleged conduct could bring down an entire network.
In a filing, the ACLU echoed this argument, saying “Parents’ internet access, for example, may be terminated based on the conduct of their children – over even their children’s friends.”
Cox Communications, the named party in the suit (and the third-largest broadband provider in the US) faces a $1 billion penalty if the Supreme Court sides with Sony (the media company who brought the suit forward), and has warned that the company could go immediately bankrupt if the ruling doesn't go their way, potentially getting rid of Internet access in some communities altogether.
However, those who support Sony, including other media companies as well as trade groups for recording artists, songwriters, and film studios, have said that Cox had opportunities to use less-drastic tools to curb piracy on their networks but ultimately chose profits over compliance, and this ruling is an attempt to force them to do the right thing.
With so much at stake, this is definitely one case to watch. Initial oral arguments are scheduled for today, and a ruling is expected sometime before next summer.