The Digital Economy Act 2010

So.

Someone I know was on Pirate Bay today downloading their usual public domain freeware non-copyrighted stuff and they noticed the regular logo had been replaced with this..

[atsimg]http://files.abovetopsecret.com/images/member/4074d0423049.jpg[/atsimg]

Clicking on it lead to this page about new legislation in the UK.

The Digital Economy Act is a newly passed piece of British legislation that is meant to protect copyright online and increase regulation and control of the way people use the Internet.

This was the first i'd heard about it. I guess it wouldn't get much coverage outside of the UK.

Why should you be worried?
* Websites will be blocked for alleged copyright infringement.
* Families accused of sharing copyrighted files will be disconnected without trial. They will have to pay to appeal.

Sounds kinda Orwellian. Don't get me wrong, artists etc have the right to protect their livelihood, but how will this be implemented? How will it be policed? Where does fair use end and policy begin? What is the juristiction? Is this a precedent for other countries? Can they force ISP's to comply?

No offence, but man, you couldn't pay me to live in the UK these days.

Please don't get all righteous on me, i understand that downloading copyrighted material is stealing. The thing is, so many people do it. Many, if not most, don't even consider it really stealing. What are the ramifications of such a large percentage of the population being scrutinized and/or prosecuted? Should a minor suffer the same penalties for piracy as an adult? Where is due process? Should justice be left in the hands of corporations? There would be no way to defend against accusations. Your word vs their word. Am i wrong?

Here is the Digital Economy Act 2010

Can someone better educated than me take a look at this jargon and tell us what it actually means?


[edit on 28-4-2010 by Funk bunyip]

They're giving it all they've got.

I don't know how many rights they can take away before we give them an ultimatum, but I'm sure they don't like freedom of anything whatsoever.

Think they'll block porn sites? That's not what this is about.

This law will do nothing but make people change the way they get their free information...just like every other attempt has proven. Think people don't speed because of speed limits? Sarcastic laughter ensues.

Moreover, it will be used as a catalyst or precedent setting law for them to quash ever-growing amounts of our rights to speech and press.

Make no mistake people, this is doing nothing but taking liberty...period.

Very relevant and entertaining video.



Here's the direct link to pdf: Click Here

reply to post by lagnar


Cool vid

Make no mistake people, this is doing nothing but taking liberty...period.

Absolutely. Those that control the information control the world.

Blocking fire sharing sites and banning people from their ISP without trial, simply based on the unproven and possibly fabricated claims of some corporation doesn't just prevent the flow of illegal material, it installs a system which can prevent the flow of all information deemed inconvenient to those at the switch.

Australia will be next with our web filter, which will surely only take days after it is implemented for them to decide that sites such as The Pirate Bay should be blacklisted..
First it was the UK, then Australia, make no mistake, they will be knocking on your door next.

This is totalitarianism in it's infancy.

My understanding of the law is

1 You will receive several warnings before being disconnected.

2 The person who has the isp contract is the one who will receive warnings,be disconnected,even if they are not downloading copyright material.(I believe this will be used to prosecute owners of wifi hotspots and internet cafes)

3 Prosecution in a court of law will follow if you continue to download, and use software to specifically hide you ip address

4 This part of the act covers all devices( comps, smartphones,ect)which can be used to access the internet.

On the whole isp are broadly in favour of this legislation,and will support it.
The only dissenter at the moment is TalkTalk who will fight this in court.

This is just another piece of legislation designed to impair free speech and personal liberty.Which is not unusual in a socialist government.

I wonder if this site got permission from Christopher Walken, to put a likeness of him in the article you brought to us?

I'm of the opinion that if something is out there for us to see, then, it becomes public domain.

This smacks of people in Hollywierd who get paid over, and over again for something they did once. Royalties!

Do people who work carpentry building a house get paid every year after the house is complete while somebody lives there and enjoys it?

Ridiculous!

They can not has our internet!

Read about this bill a couple of months back, the fact that it was rushed through so quickly doesn't leave you with many options to choose from in determining what happened. Someone went to bed with someone.

Let's hope it fails, likes its failing here in Australia... even if its only been 'postponed'.

I already posted this about two weeks ago. Hate to be rude but use the search function man.

UK: Digital Economy Bill Passes - Hello Internet Censorship

I hope people will migrate to my post as it got little attention. Odd how this one got more attention for the same topic.

[edit on 29-4-2010 by ImaginaryReality1984]

2 The person who has the isp contract is the one who will receive warnings,be disconnected,even if they are not downloading copyright material.(I believe this will be used to prosecute owners of wifi hotspots and internet cafes)

So basically, internet cafe's will become a thing of the past as owners will fear liability.

3 Prosecution in a court of law will follow if you continue to download, and use software to specifically hide you ip address

How will they identifiy you if you are hiding your IP?

I wonder if this site got permission from Christopher Walken, to put a likeness of him in the article you brought to us?

This smacks of people in Hollywierd who get paid over, and over again for something they did once. Royalties!

Don't even get me started on actors.. They are adults, playing dress-up They need to get over themselves already.
Artists do stuff because we get a buzz out of it. If somebody says "hey man, that was cool" then that's all we need. Maybe if we stopped throwing so much money at actors, celebrities and producers, then Hollywood might actually fall back into the hands of artists and we wouldn't get so much absolute cr*p churned out year after year.
Ah too late, here comes the rant..
Did anyone watch that piece of sh*t 2012?? Geezuz.. i swear they just used a montage of footage from The day after tomorrow/ Deep impact/ Armageddon/ (insert every other distaster movie) .. and c'mon, do you really think the US president would volunteer to stay behind and "go down with the ship"? do you? really? are you sure?
And don't get me started on the mini-series "The pacific". They named one of the heroes "J.P. Morgan" .. are you f***ing kidding me?? The industrialist who destroyed Nikola Tesla?? WTF? Step back and smell the frickin propaganda. Do people even realise the sh*t they are being spoonfed??

ok i'm done now. Sorry 'bout that.

They can not has our internet!

All your seeds are belong to us!


Man even if it passes.. i got my proxy locked and loaded!

I already posted this about two weeks ago. Hate to be rude but use the search function man.

Man, i did a search of the title "The Digital Economy Act 2010" and did a quick scan of the first page of results.. sorry, i really didn't see it. My apologies!

The link again to ImaginaryReality1984's thread also covering this.



[edit on 29-4-2010 by Funk bunyip]

Originally posted by Funk bunyip
3 Prosecution in a court of law will follow if you continue to download, and use software to specifically hide you ip address

This one really worries me, not allowed to hide your IP anymore? I do this all the time for various reasons including privacy. For example, while i detest the BNP i have read their website to research their hatred. I woudln't want that showing on my internet history though, so i hide my ip. What about people who are politically active? What about people who want to expose government corruption anonymously?

Hiding your IP is exactly the same as having an unlisted phone number. Except hiding your IP is more private

Hiding your IP doesn't protect you from them viewing your traffic via the ISP's so they could still have you for breaching copyright, but why add hiding an IP as a seperate charge? Why is that even being considered to be illegal? Are the government aware of the number of businesses that hide their IP's using VPN services?

The politicians are simply doing as the powerful lobbies tell them. Every day we become more like the USA where lobbies can yield more power than a president or prime minister in our case.

Originally posted by Funk bunyip
Man, i did a search of the title "The Digital Economy Act 2010" and did a quick scan of the first page of results.. sorry, i really didn't see it. My apologies!

The link again to ImaginaryReality1984's thread also covering this.

Oh well the issue is getting attention and that's the important thing, sorry if i was a little rude there mate and thanks for adding in a link.

[edit on 29-4-2010 by ImaginaryReality1984]

I'm sick of legislation that is motivated by industry revenue.

Government should be there to insure that there is a mediator between civil conflicts...not the enforcer of the rich in their efforts to stay rich.

/Rant.

1st post!!! Woot.

Back on topic. Whenever I hear about these Net Neutrality Acts and Internet Censoring Laws, I envision the Vast Armies of Computer Manipulators, and hackers that exist all over the world.

Im am quite positive that if anyone tried to get in the way or "step on the toes" of these people, That a Virtual Armaggedon would swiftly, and brutally rain down upon the Netscape.

Really, whos more passionate? A guy paid by corporate sitting at a desk waiting to go home. Or the guy sitting at home, using his personal free time to interact, create, and destroy.

Originally posted by MemoryShock
I'm sick of legislation that is motivated by industry revenue.

Government should be there to insure that there is a mediator between civil conflicts...not the enforcer of the rich in their efforts to stay rich.

/Rant.

Yeah, me too, for real.

But I'd also have to say that's all legislation really is...a perpetuation of problems that can make other people money, instead of the needed explosion of intellect and consciousness whose very existence is meant to SOLVE problems forever.

Personally, I think we need to get rid of the monetary system before it's too late, or perhaps just completely reset it...reboot it...format and reinstall it. Yeah, we should treat it like Windows™, lol.

As we entered the millenium, it became clear to me that there was a trend towards creating a corporate class of supercitizen - worldwide.

They have, by our representatives' "largess" more access, and increasing authority to exercise powers that are denied to the 'consumer' citizen class.

Herein, lies your proof.

I am disgusted that this has been the decade of legitimized corporate abuse. I will die a sad and dissapointed man if we don't stop this trend and reverse it before it becomes the century of the corporation.... because knowing the exploitative model upon which they base their actions, I don't think we as a species will survive a century of this without being dminished to the point of serfdom, at best, and slavery at worst.

To all our dear friends in the UK and Europe in general, remember, we too see the abuse and lament it. Many of the culprit corporations are identified as American, or British, or German, or whatever.... they are none of those things. They are the supranational wet dream of industrialists and robber barons who are adopting what appears to be a Machiavellian blood-line dynastic approach to consolidating and maintaining power over their captive consumers.

[edit on 29-4-2010 by Maxmars]

In the US, it would certainly be a violation of rights to try and hold the ISP contract holder responsible for a patron's illegal downloads... I'd imagine there would be similar rights violations in the UK, so chances are, the first case of this (when done via wi-fi, and trying to prosecute a big name business), will utterly squash it...

But, it certainly sets a dangerous precedent. What's next, trying to hold a gun shop liable for a criminal shooting? Holding a bar liable for a drunk driver? (although some have tried to do that too).. It's unfair and a violation of basic rights.

I'm not saying illegal downloads are right..far from it. BUT, holding the connection provider responsible for it's patron's activities is also wrong. ESPECIALLY in a wi-fi setting, where the person just has to be nearby, maybe not even IN the establishment....

I can see it now, Lord Mandelson on top of a virtual pedastal, self-proclaimed "Lord Of The Wire"

As a activist, I cannot allow to let this happen. What is this country comming to? CCTV, The Mosquito ( en.wikipedia.org... ) and now this?!

Time to crack out the Guy Fawks masks I think...

Are the government aware of the number of businesses that hide their IP's using VPN services?

My technical know-how is moderate at best, so i'm wondering, is the concept of a Pirate ISP network that can exist outside of mainstream regulation possible? I'd assume so, i mean, short of physically cutting the wires they can't actually control the flow of information if an unregistered rogue ISP decides to ignore regulation, can they?

Isn't that basically what Wikileaks was/is trying to do in Iceland?

Isn't it funny how volcanoes started erupting in Iceland pretty soon after they announced it? Warning shot perhaps?

Oh well the issue is getting attention and that's the important thing

I'm sick of legislation that is motivated by industry revenue. Government should be there to insure that there is a mediator between civil conflicts...not the enforcer of the rich in their efforts to stay rich.

Yeah. Gotta love that Golden Rule.. "He with the gold, makes the rules."

Really, whos more passionate? A guy paid by corporate sitting at a desk waiting to go home. Or the guy sitting at home, using his personal free time to interact, create, and destroy.

Muahahaha.. now we're talking!

Personally, I think we need to get rid of the monetary system before it's too late, or perhaps just completely reset it...reboot it...format and reinstall it.

Fight Club style.. back to 0.. boom! Imagine a world where all children were actually born equal instead of financially handicapped.

I don't think we as a species will survive a century of this without being dminished to the point of serfdom, at best, and slavery at worst.

When across much of the world a man can work a full time job and still not be able to afford his mortgage, feed and clothe his family and give his children an eduction... Then this IS slavery, look no further, it's already upon us.

In the US, it would certainly be a violation of rights to try and hold the ISP contract holder responsible for a patron's illegal downloads... I'd imagine there would be similar rights violations in the UK, so chances are, the first case of this (when done via wi-fi, and trying to prosecute a big name business), will utterly squash it...

We can only hope.


[edit on 29-4-2010 by Funk bunyip]

People in the UK should start getting into the habit of changing their wireless keys weekly. There are many programs out there that will crack passphrases on typical SOHO routers given enough time/data transfer (which is not much time/data in most cases). The last thing anyone needs is the neighbour's zit-faced kid hacking your wireless, downloading this, that, and, the other while the warnings and potential prosecution come to your doorstep.

It is astounding to see the government implement this kind of law when they are unable to reliably secure their own networks. How nice would it be to see a PM or senior government minister get served because he was hacked and now has a hard drive full of porn and movies LOL

Anyone who has been around to watch the birth and evolution of the internet should disgusted beyond all belief as the net was meant, prior to complete commercialisation, to be a place for the free exchange of thoughts, ideas and, information.

Wow, I didn't realize laws like these were so close to fruition, but I knew it was coming someday.

This may be a little off-topic, but relevant...there is some "scareware" floating around that will pop up with a message that you are being prosecuted for downloading copyrighted material. It will lock up your computer and try to make you pay to "settle" the case by providing your credit card number. I know most of you are smart enough to know its a scam, but it looks official with logos, so do not be tricked!

Sorry to drift off-topic, but I wanted to make everyone aware so they don't think it is a similar law or something.

reply to post by CDippa


Don't apologize. It is always good to warn others about a scam they might not realize is happening under their very noses....

reply to post by Funk bunyip
I often visit Pirate Bay out of curiosity and never download anything that is under copyright. I'm a good citizen

Your reference to Orwell is pretty accurate in my opinion. In the 1930s a guy called Victor Gollancz launched the Left Book Club. He published Orwell's 'Road to Wigan Pier.' At the time, there was mass-unemployment in the UK and libraries sprung up to give access to information to the unemployed. The idea was to share news and educate the masses. They were very popular and began to develop an informed electorate. These libraries and book clubs grew in number and spread across the UK.

Predictably, the Government introduced legislation that banned them. Before a working-class backlash happened we were drawn into the war with Germany.

The Digital Economy Act is cut from the same cloth. It's just censorship and limiting the free discussion of ideas. I'm not a conspiracy merchant, but this is standard behaviour for Govts. They're more paranoid than we are. The medium is the message so they create a justification for controlling the medium. Terrorism, child porn, immigration and copyright theft are sock puppets for increased regulation.

Jefferson and Churchill said "The price of freedom is eternal vigilance." I doubt they imagined it would escalate to this level of 'vigilance.'