The Digital Economy Bill has a number of clauses that, if taken to their logical extremes, could see some pretty horrible outcomes. It's completed its whistle-stop tour of the legislative process, sprinting from Commons to Lords with barely a pause for breath before getting the nod from Her Maj. MPs decided to get the bill into law first and worry about the details later. Until Ofcom hammers out the mechanics of the processes outlined in the bill, it's impossible to say how we'll be affected. We take a look at some of the worst-case scenarios. No shizzle, Sherlock. Accessing copyrighted movies and music is illegal already, but with just a minimal amount of know-how it's easier than falling off a slippery log in the rainy season. The bill aims to make it more difficult to access copyrighted content, by blocking Web sites built around sharing such material. From the other side, the bill creates sanctions that can be applied to you, the user, should you be caught with your fingers in the copyright cookie jar. Download.com is part of the big happy CNET family. Among the available software are peer-to-peer file-sharing tools. The bill specifically states that Web sites such as Download.com can be blocked if they're providing tools that infringe copyright. In the same clause, the bill targets sites that have infringed copyright in the past. That theoretically includes sites such as Napster, which have cleaned up their act since their early days under the Jolly Roger of copyright piracy. This may overturn the recently set legal precedent in which a high court judge ruled against a blanket ban of Usenet-indexing Web site Newzbin. But most worrying is that the same clause also specifically allows for blocking sites deemed 'likely to' infringe copyright. We don't yet know how the government will divine whether a site is 'likely to' do anything, unless Ofcom is going to start employing soothsayers. There's also a clause relating to national security, which could see legal restrictions on material 'they' don't want us to see. This may even extend to gagging sites that currently do a bang-up job of making a mockery of 'super-injunctions'. File-sharing services host thriving communities transforming copyrighted content in mash-ups and mods. These could be targeted. The bill distinguishes between subscribers -- you -- and Internet service providers (ISPs). Some networks could be considered to be both, however. If a network is a subscriber -- the actual Wi-Fi is provided by someone else, such as BT Openzone in Starbucks -- then it faces liability for the actions of users. If it's an ISP, it faces bureaucracy, cost and legal obligations to hand over information about users. Either way, the bill will make anyone running or thinking of running open Wi-Fi think twice. The bill specifically exempts libraries and universities, but not small businesses or local co-operatives. At worst, we could see the end of public Wi-Fi because nobody wants the risk or the headache. At best, we'll have the hassle of registering our details every time we want to log on in public. YouTube wouldn't be what it is today without a critical mass of copyrighted material. Liberal Democrat peer Lord Clement-Jones told our sister site ZDNet that YouTube is unlikely to be affected as Google is jolly decent about taking down copyrighted material when asked nicely. Yet YouTube -- and most video sites -- are stuffed to the gills with copyrighted material. The bill makes provision to nuke them all. French law prevents suspended users from switching to another ISP, and Ofcom is expected to come up with a similar provision. It's unclear who will be in charge of this blacklist -- a copyright offender register, if you will. How long will suspended users be kept on the list? Will it lapse after a set period of time, like a police caution? Will you be able to see your record, like a credit record? Either way, ISPs may find themselves forced to check each new user, which could make the process of signing up to a new ISP even more of a chore than it already is. Google searches torrents and is therefore, by government logic, a file-sharing tool. Will Google be banned? Rupert Murdoch probably hopes so: he already accuses Google News of stealing News International content. There will probably be a bunch of test cases to establish the legal boundaries of the bill, and we'd bet our favourite trousers Murdoch will be all over that like Tiger Woods on a cocktail waitress. This is all speculation until the mechanics are worked out over the next year. Let us know your best -- and worst -- case scenarios in the comments. Oh, and remember: there's an election coming.Digital Economy Bill: Nine things you can't do any more
Watch copyrighted content
Download from us
Use Napster
Use WikiLeaks
Mash and mod
Use free open Wi-Fi
Watch YouTube
Change ISPs
Google stuff
Saturday, 10 April 2010
Posts
I can't wait until the first MP gets done for their offspring downloading illegal content!
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 1:16pm
WOW!!! since when did the UK turn into China!!
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 1:49pm
Employees could get their own empoyer black-listed by downloading copyright material at work, then reporting themselves to the copyright owner, who could then report the employer to their ISP and eventually block their Internet access? Fortunately no one is that vindictive ...
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 1:58pm
hey anon that was my comment. you stole it from my site, i said it first, that was copyright fraud. also with it being sense to gov you should shut this site down immediately
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 2:04pm
That's it, I'm moving to Canada.
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 2:04pm
bon voyage!
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 2:05pm
This has always been a ridiculous bill and has now been pushed through by a bunch of uneducated MP's. Am I right in thinking this whole thing (or the majority of it at least) is the brainchild of Peter Mandelson? Just the man we want to lay down a set of guidelines about how to operate fairly and lawfully *cough cough*
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Jak893Fri 9 April, 2010 5:31pm
"At best, we'll have the hassle of registering our details every time we want to log on in public."
That's exactly what's going on in my country (Italy): it's impossible to use a public Wi-Fi (unless you want to waste time giving away personal details), and Vodafone, Tim, Wind etc. are pretty happy...
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 6:01pm
Did you know you could send & receive a couple MP3 files at a time using Gmail? Are they going to ban Gmail?
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 7:05pm
Well this Bill is the more horrific and imbecilic piece of political back handed under the table law's for cash it has ever been my misfortune to witness going through a mockery of the British people history and tradition of some of the best and world class setting government. I am ashamed to be British and no longer have any faith in the country or system. The lord's have been paid off, there is now way that 95% of the MP's can not turn up for the debates, have no information, no understanding of the issues, no concept of the law they are passing, no thought to the consequences and knock on effects of this moronic act of pocket lining that they are forcing on the unwilling, unwitting population.
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 7:15pm
does this mean that all versions of all Operating systems on all platforms will have to be banned as they can support P2P applications?
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 7:27pm
Say goodbye to Labour, they are shafting us one more time on the way out. Oo it hurts when I sit here...... :-)
But seriously Labour have removed my respect for Parliament. And I am in the 50+ demographic that respected government and the Law. How much more difficult it must be for the young. If I were them I would knock a granny down and steal her purse for the neglect of democracy and fiscal responsibility during her life (no this was irony, no don't do it lad!) – let alone what should be done to me and my contemporaries. We should be ashamed of ourselves.
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andydandyFri 9 April, 2010 7:39pm
Britain is f*cked.
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 8:19pm
Government incursion to limit, control, and monitor our behavior is absolutely crucial... you know, for freedom and stuff.
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 8:54pm
Ever heard of Pandora's Box? Cat out of the bag, any other cliche you want to hear to get the message? The fact is with the world economies crashing, adding what in effect is cost and censorship will drive most ISP's and communication services out of business while a new age of piracy will flourish. We all know the game is had and anyone playing by the rules is a fool and soon to out of business!!
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 9:11pm
Crimes of violence against other people are less aggressively purseued than this. That must have been some bumming Mandelson got off David Geffen on that boat a year or two back.
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 10:07pm
do any of you Brits think that all this fascism on your shores has NOTHING to do with your dirty lying queen and her freemason stoolies and Mendelson is paid directly by the Rothschilds? How much are you going to take? Or rather, how much are THEY going to take from YOU>
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AnonymousFri 9 April, 2010 10:41pm
If you haz done notzing wrong zen you vill haz notzing to fear.
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 1:14am
Got someone you don't like? Just accuse them of witchcraft, er, I mean, of downloading copyright material. There'll be no awkward trial where they might be impudent enough to protest their innocence. No, it will be straight to the local CIA torture chamber followed by burning at the stake. I've already drawn up my list. How about you?
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 1:49am
I happen to have a website full of copyright material - all my own work and plastered with my copyright notices. Will I be criminalizing myself by downloading my own files? Not only that but my copyright notifications are really just me expressing my right to be acknowledged as the creator of my own work. I actually could not care less who downloads it and would only complain if I saw the material being misused or falsely credited to someone else. So now I can't give it away without the recipient getting busted? These Rothschild/Geffen goblins are totally insane (as if you didn't already know that, right?).
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 1:54am
The "That's it I'm moving to " strategy is becoming less and less a viable option, I'm afraid.
Almost every country is rapidly adopting the same draconian police state mentality. I often read worryingly similar and fascistic stories coming out of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Italy and France, nowadays, to name a few. Not to mention the US of course.
International forces (media corps) produce international responses, so it's hardly surprising.
Sometimes I wonder if there are a group of people sitting around trying to think up new ways to push the envelope on what we will tolerate.
I can't wait to see their faces when they finally hit the limit.
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 3:13am
These guys in parliament know what they're doing people, they're experts & democracy works just fine without a load of amateurs like you sticking your noses in.
Trust them ok.
They love you.
They love us so much they even invaded IRAQ & AFGHANISTAN to stop all them terrorists that hate us because we're FREE.
Our leaders have wisely been removing our civil liberties & human rights ever since 7/7 (before actually) as a counter terrorism measure so them johnny foreigners don't hate us anymore.
& we're giving them our democracy which is the envy of the world.
& that stuff about this being a way to get control, censor & corrupt the internet are just them conspiracy types. & that was on the BBC so you can take that to the bank!
Politicians will make sure them cyber terrorists can't attack us as well & you've got to admit, that love em or hate em, they know how to run things properly.
Education, Healthcare, H.M. Revenue & Customs, Wars On Terror, Swine Flu, Banks & everything.
& don't forget, our Queen is there as a back up in case there's any problem so come on people, stop criticising our leaders & cut them some slack.
Governing belongs to Government I say!
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 4:02am
Hey, this is our Queen you're talking about mate!
Does a bloody difficult job cutting ribbons & helping poor people & she will be our voice if any of those politicians step out of line, don't you worry!
Freemasons? I don't think dance music is her thing & sounds unlikely to me man.
I really don't understand why people are so rude about the Rothschilds family, but they are Jewish aren't they which probably means that these rumours about them owning our Government are anti-semitic. Must be awful being surrounded by Johnny Foreigner hating you because you're free. Like us.
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 4:23am
We pay MP's internet payments.. MP,s husband downloads "adult content" ...... I wonder if he paid for that?
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 5:39am
Come the revolution comrades all the wassocks of Westminster wil find themselves facing a firing squad.
NO! OH WELL I CAN STILL DREAM
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 12:27pm
Am i going to be punished for trying to promote my own music by sharing it on the internet? They claim to be protecting 'artists rights', but how am i supposed to make a name for myself if everyone is going to be too scared to download my music, even with my permission?
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 1:23pm
Does it take an army of star wars troopers marching across the street to make you realize you got no freedon left anymore, silly britons bah bah
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 2:59pm
we are
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 5:32pm
Given that the last SUCCESSFUL prosecution for witchcraft in this country was in 1944 this is not as funny as it sounds!
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 5:36pm
Find an unsecured neighbour and use there hook up !!
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AnonymousSat 10 April, 2010 5:59pm