Smash the machines.. Part 2

It turns out there may have been something behind the recent and sudden shift in timescale for the Government’s proposed anti-file sharing measures.

I may be miles behind on this given that the Sunday Times reported it a few weeks ago, but it appears on the face of it that Handy Mandy is behind it all. According to the ST, Mandelson had dinner with the boss of Dreamworks, David Geffen and the Prince of Darkness returned to press the Government into tougher and more rapid action on blocking file sharing.

He denies that Digital Britain was discussed with Geffen, but what about file sharing? I think he’s being liberal with the truth, at the very least. Can anyone say “secret, undeclared interest free loans”? Or maybe “cash for passports”?

Anyway the final date for comments on the Digital Britain scheme has been set at the 29th of September.

I’ve just had a look at their supposedly official site for Digital Britain, whereby the unrelenting Government mantra is spelled out. Thou shalt not have freedom on the internet. Thou shalt not be able to transfer files across the internet. Thou art guilty as charged. Have a look.

I’m quite surprised that the Government is pushing on with this guilty until proven innocent policy. It won’t work. Apparently if someone uses our wireless connections, we are guilty, but seek solace in the fact you have a right of appeal. Thanks, Comrade.

Allowing private organisations such as the BPI to bypass the protection offered to people by an impartial judge in a court of law so they can subvert the Data Protection Act is just morally wrong. At the moment they threaten by proxy, in that they send a letter to the ISP with an IP address and the file they are alleged to have downloaded from it, and the ISP then looks up the customer and passes the BPI letter on. Under Government proposals it appears that ISPs are going to be required to not only monitor everything a user downloads, ever, but also keep a copy of it, making them pirates by proxy.

After all, just because I may be sharing a file called The Dark Knight-aXXo.avi does not mean that’s what it is. So someone would have to check and it would need to be verified. You simply cannot allow a third party like the BPI to be judge, jury and executioner.