Illegal downloaders face broadband ban
- 26 August, 2009 00:57
- Comments 3
Aggressive efforts to cut off illegal file sharers from the internet, originally rejected in the government's Digital Britain report, are back on with a new plan which effectively takes communications regulator Ofcom out of the loop as an online anti-piracy enforcer.
Under the previous Digital Britain proposals, ISPs would send warning letters to web users suspected of illegal downloading. If those efforts failed to reduce piracy by at least 70 percent, Ofcom would, in 2012, have the power to slow down users' connections.
However, reports this morning say those regularly downloading copyright content will have their internet connection blocked completely should they continue their file-sharing activities after receiving the warning letters. Furthermore, such a move would not be instigated by a failure to reduce by piracy by 70 percent, but would up to the discretion of ministers.
The secretary of state, rather than Ofcom, would hold the power to introduce the technical measures.
"The previous proposals, whilst robust, would take an unacceptable amount of time to complete in a situation that calls for urgent action," according to a draft of the government's new plan obtained by The Guardian.
The newspaper says the about-turn is likely to increase speculation that the secretary of state for business, innovation and skills, Lord Mandelson, reached a secret deal with Hollywood mogul David Geffen earlier this month to protect the film and music industries. Geffen has been an outspoken critic of illegal downloading and is said to have met Mandelson while on holiday earlier this month in Corfu.
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Comments
RB
It won't work!!
The real problem is that file-sharing is "human behavior" and not a technical problem. The movie studio's "only in cinemas" policy outrages consumers so they resort to other means, albeit illegal, to obtain content.
The answer is for rights-holders to engage with consumers via the Internet, make it easy to legally obtain movies online, get consumer electronics vendors to embed Internet connectivity into TVs.
This policy will not work because: a) It is not going to solve the problem (lack of online content) and b) Just Google "anonymous bittorrent" and see that there are over 400,000 web results showing users how to do anonymous file sharing.
Tom McHenry
Illegal downloaders face broadband ban
It's interesting* how the government dog can react aggressively when the corporate world whistles about their "lost" revenues but can't do anything about the appalling state of the net with (what most people would deem criminal activity) all types of scam. They can bring down as many downloaders as they want but not the organised internet crime.
* not, just a statement about the Sapiens animal.
Anonymous
I agree totally but not with $$$$
Too true,
What about all the money lost for the average aussie battlers investment/superannuation and retirement funds all gone, now we have the ultra rich elite few crying over thier lost millions in pirated movies etc...
This comes down to the relationship between sharing and greed, it seems there is no middle ground???
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