UK file-sharers will be 'cut off'

[xxMATTGxx]

The UK government is to announce that people who consistently download films and music illegally will be cut off from the net.

The announcement will come in the form of an amendment to the Digital Britain report, launched in June.

It is believed that Business Secretary Lord Mandelson has intervened personally to beef up the report.

The amendment will make it easier for internet service providers to act against pirates.

ISPs have said it is not their job to police the web.

It is likely there will be widespread anger from ISPs over the u-turn.

Much of the Digital Britain report is dedicated to ways to get people online and many felt that a policy of cutting off persistent downloaders would go against this ethos.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8219652.stm

What you all think of this then?

[BoyBetterKnow]

I have downloaded like 10 movies max. I havn't downloaded any for about 3 months so this doesn't really apply to me. I pay for alot of my music tbh.

But surely watching movies online is as bad as downloading them ?

[Recursion]

I have downloaded like 10 movies max. I havn't downloaded any for about 3 months so this doesn't really apply to me. I pay for alot of my music tbh.

But surely watching movies online is as bad as downloading them ?

If you mean on streaming websites, then yes, you're effectively downloading them and watching them at the same time.


Doesn't really apply to me at all, I buy music off Amazon MP3 or iTunes depending on who's cheapest and most DRM-free on the song LOL, movies I get of off iTunes as rentals or full purchases, software like MS Office I just use my student discounts.

[Chippiewill]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8219652.stm

What you all think of this then?

Just start routing your torrent traffic through sweden or through Tor..... may be a bit slow but it'll do...

But it wont matter anyway, ISPs just wont bother.

[Flisker]

As the article said, the ISP's don't want to be the web police as under law they are mere conduits of the traffic on the net. As long as the ISP's say no to it then the longer it will take to come into action.

[xxMATTGxx]

If you mean on streaming websites, then yes, you're effectively downloading them and watching them at the same time.


Doesn't really apply to me at all, I buy music off Amazon MP3 or iTunes depending on who's cheapest and most DRM-free on the song LOL, movies I get of off iTunes as rentals or full purchases, software like MS Office I just use my student discounts.

You have changed over the months .

[Recursion]

By the way, this hasn't actually happened yet, a target was set to do this by 2012, but they are saying it needs to be done sooner, nothing has been finalized yet.

[Tomm]

I find it funny how they use the word "File-sharers" when there clearly are a large number of different ways to download pirated content other than using Bittorent or other p2p applications.

Anyway, i'm happy with my encrypted usenet service. So unless they manage to start decrypting SSL traffic sometime soon then ill be fine

[GommeInc]

Good luck to them ISPs won't like the idea of interfering with their customers, it will cost them alot of time and money to monitor all activity

Is this just another dig of becoming anti-human rights? File sharing isn't that big a deal, if film companies, music companies and game companies made their products reasonable for the amount you pay, then there wouldn't be such a mess. The music industry is one of the biggest culrits - selling music which is waaay over-priced when listening to one album gets tiresome quicker than that of a game or film. 79p (average price I think) is considered a waste of money, halving it would be more decent - not like the artists get much of it anyway :/

[Ardemax]

Don't download that much illegally.

But I know people that live of such sites - lol.
I'm sure one of my mates has never actually been to a cinema - ykno - with friends. He just downloads them.