ISP PIRACY WARNINGS: WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW.

A coalition of copyright holders and ISPs like Comcast and Verizon this week signed up for the “Copyright Alert System,” which will provide notices to consumers if they are suspected of illegal downloading.

Many ISPs already provide warnings to users if sketchy behavior is detected, but the Copyright Alert System is intended to provide a standardized approach that all ISPs will use. But how does it actually work? Is my ISP going to be snooping on my Web activity to catch me illegally downloading an episode of “Dexter”? Will ISPs hand this info over to the RIAA and MPAA so they can sue me? We took a look at the new plan and some of the top questions that have emerged since the announcement.

If the Republicans in Congress were smart, they’d repeal the DMCA — socking it to Hollywood while winning plaudits from Internet users. But note the conditional here. . . .