This video is doing the rounds. It helps you understand why the web filtering aspect of the Digital Economy Act is a very bad thing.
Posts Tagged ‘Digital Economy Bill’
cleanternet – you know it makes sense #debill #deact
Friday, April 23rd, 2010
Digital Economy Bill–Act–Farce continues beyond Parliamentary grave #DEAct #DEBill
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010In a continuation of the farcial speed that the Digital Economy Bill was rushed through into Law I’m told that Ofcom has already conducted two meetings with the 5 largest ISPs to discuss the implementation of the Code of Practice with a third planned for next Wednesday.
I’m also told that Ofcom has also met with 9 Music Industry Rights Holders and 5 from the movie making industry. Perhaps Ofcom could elaborate on this? If this is the case it seems hugely disproportionate in terms of representation. Hugely unfair in fact and feels very familiar with the way the Law was rushed through in the first place.
Despite what seems on the face of it to be a substantial consultation with Rights Holders no attempt appears to have been made to involve any small ISPs, the ISP Association, ISPA, or the London Internet Exchange, LINX. In fact the majority of the organisations that stand to lose out under the Digital Economy Act.
A threshold is likely to be applied in respect of which ISPs must comply with the DEA. This however has not been set yet and without it seems reasonable that all ISPs likely to be affected by it get a chance to participate in the discussion.
Being a reasonable minded person I am able to look at it from Ofcom’s perspective and observe that they have very little time to put together a Code of Practice around a hugely complex and controversial subject. You might say Ofcom has been stitched up just as the ISPs have been. However in this case it just isn’t good enough. I think everyone concerned here should complain to Ofcom in the morning.
The Ofcom Switchboard number is 0300 123 3000 or 020 7981 3000. Ask for Ed Richards, Chief Executive.
Follow on note – check out these posts from Andrew Cormack, Chief Regulatory Adviser, JANET . He was at one of the meetings.
Digital Economy Bill – the month in review and what next #debill #ge2010
Sunday, April 18th, 2010The last month has been a bit of an emotional roller coaster ride for broadband users, ISPs and anyone interested in basic liberties in the UK.
On Friday 19th March The Digital Economy Bill passed from the House of Lords to the Commons. The three readings in the Lords took most of the three months since Christmas. The Commons only spent a few days “deliberating” the Bill. The General Election and “wash-up” process meant that the Bill was effectively nodded through by the Labour and Conservatives.
This is the only time I have ever watched parliament online. I don’t know how many people were viewing the (more…)
Business already starting to worry about the effect of Digital Economy Bill #debill #digitalbritain
Thursday, April 15th, 2010I’m off to a meeting with a customer the week after next. Nothing unusual in that of course. In fact I like meeting customers. It gives me a chance to find out how we are doing.
This particular customer however provides in room internet services to hotels. They want to know how the Digital Economy Bill will affect them. The reality is that we won’t know until Ofcom has completed its work on the Code of Practice. It is right that they start looking at the subject now though because it does have the potential to harm them in a big way.
Customers downloading copyright material from the internet will be long gone by the time Rights Holders catch up with the ISP. In fact who is the Service Provider in this case? Timico, who owns the infrastructure, or Timico’s customer who has the relationship with the hotel? Or is it the hotel, which has the relationship with the paying guest? Hmm!
Royal Assent for Digital Economy Bill – we now need to move onto the Code of Practice for damage limitation #debill
Friday, April 9th, 2010The Queen nodded the Digital Economy Bill through last night, in keeping with her custom and practice. It seems that MPs have been getting above their station in taking a similar approach to get it passed into Law (my words not Her Majesty’s).
It would appear that Stephen Timms has offered via twitter to arrange a session between ISPs and the Rights Holders:
“#DEBill Good dialogue, music/film people & Internet people, opposing views,could help find common ground. Much needed. Anyone interested?”
Information overload STOP #timmsguidetoIT #debill Stephen Timms Out of Parliament
Thursday, April 8th, 2010We have to STOP. The information society is grinding life to a halt. There is so much good content out there on tinternet that I am drowning in it.
It is even becoming harder and harder to write relevant blog posts in a timely manner. Points that I might want to get across, links to useful websites etc etc etc have already been distributed, at the speed of light (or copper or air – we don’t all have fibre – believe it or not!) via twitter (mostly) and Facebook.
Digital Economy Bill will influence voting behaviour #debill #ge2010
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010Don’t you just love the internet. Yesterday’s Digital Economy bill non debate has spawned some highly creative responses, which to a large extent goes to show why we should keep the internet free and open.
Did your MP turn up for the debate? – find out on didmympshoupornot.com.
Also some highly illuminating stats on last night’s action can be found here.
Register opposition to the bill whatdebill" href="http://whatdebill.org/" target="_blank">here.
I haven’t made my mind up how to vote yet in this Election. It is the hardest decision I have had to make of all the Elections I have voted in. There is a groundwsell of opinion forming though that people might well vote against the Government that created this mess. This is despite the fact that the opposition by and large seems also hell bent on helping to make it a mess.
My vote will probably stay a secret but it would be interesting to hear others’ views on this.
mixed messages for rural communities #digitalbritain #ge2010
Wednesday, April 7th, 2010In an action (not so packed) Parliamentary session yesterday the Government dropped it’s plans for the 50 pence tax on phone lines. So that’s the money that was going to be used to fund rural broadband access gone then.
On the other hand they also dropped plans to hike tax on cider – so that rural dwellers can continue to drink themselves into oblivion over the fact that they can’t get broadband! There is a perverse logic in there somewhere.
Social Networking in action #debill
Tuesday, April 6th, 2010#debill actually made it to a trending topic on twitter today. This reflects the huge amount of interest around the country on the subject of the Digital Economy Bill.
I watched it both on iPlayer and via Tweetdeck where I could see real time comments on what was being debated. MPs inside the chamber were also following twitter – you could see them referring to their mobile phones whilst others were speaking.
I’ve actually changed my view on twitter since getting involved in #debill. It is a hugely powerful medium and one that can spread messages globally very quickly. For example one of my blog posts was retweeted by Jeff Pulver who has somewhere in the region of 355 thousand followers. If you have a message to get across and push the right buttons twitter is huge.
Interestingly because #debill was a trending topic on twitter, ie one of the top topics being followed by people it also attracted its fair share of spam – people jumping on the bandwagon – notably today by people trying to flog iPad.
We are all still finding our way in this connected world.
PS there can’t have been more than 20 MPs in the house debating such an important subject – democracy in action. It is getting harder and harder to decide which way to vote.
Stop UK Government From Breaking the Internet on April 6th #DEBill #digitalbritain
Monday, April 5th, 2010As a general principle and in support of the rule of law, nobody involved in the campaign process against the implementation of the Digital Economy Bill (DEB) supports the theft of someone else’s property as is the case when downloading a pirate copy of a music track. However, before we examine the history of the legislation, let’s take a reality check about where we are.
The cat is well and truly out of the bag. The downloading of copyrighted material is now so widespread and with faster and faster broadband and bigger and bigger hard drives it is never going to stop. Infringers will just move on to alternative means – encrypted P2P for example. On this basis all the hard work on the DEB is likely to be a complete waste of time. It is also very difficult to prove who has used a specific broadband connection to indulge in this copyright infringement; what’s more the burden of proof in this bill lies with the accused to prove themselves innocent. This is totally wrong and goes against all the principles of modern UK society.