Using big data to study digital piracy and the copyright alert system

The Copyright Alert System (CAS) is a monitoring and notification system through which Internet Service Providers monitor whether or not one of their subscribers engage in digital piracy. There are clear indications as to whether or not the implementation of the CAS resulted in changes in online search behavior related to digital piracy. The jurisdiction that comes closest to the United States in terms of Internet access and access to digital content and sociodemographic variables is Canada. Within the context of e-interventions, Big Data as a source provides evaluators with an additional tool that can be used to analyze changes in online behavior. For evaluators, the lesson to be learned is that relevant and interesting insights can be obtained by using Big Data as a source even though it cannot be used as the sole method to make statements about the effectiveness or impact of policy.