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Britain braces itself for Digital Economy Bill

by on20 November 2009

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File sharing to be criminalised


Britain
is about to become a paradise for the movie and film business where it will be allowed to run its own police force with the powers to investigate and jail file sharers. Lord Mandelson is expected to present the Digital Economy Bill to the public, which among other things is aimed at reducing illicit file-sharing by jailing anyone who shares music and films online.

Mandy's law gives the the entertainment industries supreme power and will allow them to disconnect alleged file sharers without any judicial process. Looking at the draft text, it would be a good idea for our British readers to flee the country as it appears to allow a digital police state where alleged pirates will be crucified by private companies.

Under the new bill the Secretary of State would be able to pass secondary legislation without Parliamentary oversight in order to protect the movie and music business.

The Secretary of State would get the power to create new remedies for online infringements movie studios and record labels can form private police forces and compel ISPs, libraries, companies and schools to turn over personal information about Internet users, and to order those companies to disconnect users, remove websites, block URLs.

ISPs will be forced to spy on their users, or to have copyright lawyers examine every piece of user-generated content before it goes live; also, copyright “militias” can be formed with the power to police copyright on the web.

All this will be done without the niceties of having to go to Parliament to put in new laws. Not only will these laws put the UK at odds with the European Parliament, but we suspect it will also anger the European court of human rights.



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