Digital Economy Bill
by admin on Apr.07, 2010, under Security
This is very interesting stuff.
If you’re not aware, the government are using the ‘wash up’ period prior to dissolvement to rush a digital econmy bill through which has significant impact in many areas, but the one that affects normal people the most is the online copyright infringement section. Namely, they’re trying to stop people downloading illegal media. It’s all here if you want to read it.
http://www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200910/cmbills/089/2010089.pdf
But the gist of it, that affects us, is that if we have an internet connection, we have to
a) avoid copyright infringement by not downloading illegal stuff
and
b) protect the connection from others.
The first is fair enough, you’re breaking a law of sorts so it’s your call. The bill states you could get a letter from your ISP telling you to desist followed by technical controls to stop you doing it if you carry on such as slow connection and disconnection. Finally they’re permitted to take you to court.
The second is reasonably vague but is as follows:-
(6) The code must provide that, where a ground mentioned in subsection (3) is relied on, the appeal must be determined in favour of the subscriber if the subscriber shows that—
(a) the act constituting the apparent infringement to which the report relates was not done by the subscriber, and
(b) the subscriber took reasonable steps to prevent other persons infringing copyright by means of the internet access service.
That last clause says you must take reasonable steps to protect your network. What the fuck does that mean?
I reckon it means, you’re responsible and if your network connection is used to infringe copyrights then no more bleating about someone else hijacking your network (which has been the case many times in the past). If it comes from your connection then it’s your fault.
What does this mean for normal users? Protect your network, in particular your wireless connection. Use encryption as good as you can support and use a strong password.
Yeah? Well, not really. That’s all a load of bollocks. The vast majority of users aren’t ever going to have someone use their network to download stuff. The bill is there to effectively close that loophole and provides the government the leverage to make the ISP’s take action against persistant bittorrenters. Of course, they have to prove copyright infringement has taken place.
Bittorrenting in itself is not a crime and neither is hosting a site that host the torrent files. (The phrase used is ‘file sharing’ but typically the technology is torrents – where an initial information and tracking file is held on a central site and then the files are downloaded from users machines who have an association with that torrent file). I foresee an explosion in encrypted torrent sites. If ISP’s can’t determine which files you’re downloading, they’re on shaky ground giving you a bollocking and taking action subsequently.
And then where do they go? Make file sharing illegal? That would be illegal. Start carrying out warrants to search and seize? Seems a bit dramatic to stop some guy watching Lost or 24 before they’re screened in the UK.
The whole thing is an appalling piece of badly thought out and badly implemented legislation and stands on seriously loose ground before it even gets through parliment. In short it’s a big old bucket of cock, but lets not let that stop them. You can’t even vote for the right lizard either as all parties with the exception of the wonderful pirate party, seem to be for it. Join them now.
