Britain’s six biggest internet service providers (ISPs) have signed up to a government clampdown on illegal downloading of music and films.
Do you back the move? Give your views in the comment form below
The big six ISPs - BT, Virgin Media, Orange, Tiscali, BSkyB and Carphone Warehouse - have signed up to the industry agreement, which is backed by the Government’s departments for business and culture.
Around 6.5 million Britons have reportedly downloaded files illegally over the past year.
Estimates suggest that the practice will cost the music industry up to £1 billion over the next five years.
The fightback against online piracy will begin with letters to thousands of the most prolific downloaders to inform them that their activity has been detected and is being monitored.
It is understood that the ISPs have agreed to commit themselves to developing legal file-sharing services and to ensure their customers know that it is illegal to share copyright-protected music.
It is thought likely that many parents will learn for the first time from the letters that their children are using their bedroom PCs and laptops for illegal piracy.
ISPs and film and music companies are expected to develop a new code of practice together on how they will deal with infringements, and the Government will then look at their proposals and consider how they can be backed up by new laws.
5 Comments
Again we see the ones at the top showing just how stupid they are. If the files are there to download there will always be people to download them, instead of spending endless amounts targeting little children why the hell don’t hey target the sites that are uploading the songs and films. Surely if they can trace the people downloading then they can trace the up loaders who are the actual ones to blame in this. it has and always will be a policy of being human that if its free why pay, sending letters is not going to make the slightest bit of difference, and is downloading illegal? i think they will have a fight to implement the law considering that’s what the net was invented for.
I don’t agree. I believe the music industry to be incapable of running itself with customer service in mind. Customers being us general consumers.
They should not be able to access ISP data(i believe it is illegal for them to do so) for what are their own failings.
well said phil h
I think that during the trails of PHORM by BT (google BT and PHORM), it was proved that they acted illegally and did not abide by some parts of data protection.
Therefore to monitor your connection they probably have to apply for a court order. But in reality as I have said previously ISP’s do not have the means to monitor ALL connections 24/7, instead they will probably monitor connections to file sharing sites and check the IP address with that of their customer list. This in itself is flawed as file sharing sites allow access to uncopyrighted material also, so if you get a letter warning you that you have been downloading files you should look at your rights regarding the information you send and receive over the internet. This is your personal data thats being transmitted and they have no right to intercept it without just cause.
Peer to peer networks don’t necessarily go via websites, they just use particular types of software, so it’s still a question of monitoring individuals’ internet use. Which they aren’t supposed to do, but they find ways around it, as in the case of BT and Phorm. Also YouTube and Google have been forced to hand over data on loads of customers’ internet use, which they will use as a precedent to get around the data protection laws. Never assume anything you do is private!