BlkKnight

Do you like your freedom on the internet? Or maybe you like your privacy?

Well kiss it all goodbye because as of TODAY the digital economy bill is going to be passed quietly and out of the public eye without democratic debate.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_Economy_Bill

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology...chard-stallman

http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/20...6908-22166211/

WELCOME TO CHINA LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!

What do you think about this?

Dedrater

I think it is absolutely pointless and that I love proxies and onion routing.

JackClark

Excellent. At least you'll now get three warnings rather than a threatening letter from a Lawyer, that should give plenty of time to birch the children.

warrenm2

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8605648.stm

Ant

there's always a a get around even giganews offer it if you wished to download copyright material http://www.giganews.com/vyprvpn/

Leslie

Money talks!

Les

Gordo

More leftie socialist sh1te - yet more proof that we neither live in a democracy, nor can live with the current clowns any longer.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

If your ISP bans you, you obviously will not be tied into the contract anymore and therefore free to move onto another server. There are plenty of people out there that can offer you an internet connection. If the ISP's are really going to ban people who download then I can't really see any need for a 50mb line and what would be the point of a 200mb if its just surfing the web? This bill if enforced will only affect the ISP's as they will be the ones loosing cash oi I really can't see all this sticking?

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

Forcing isp's to block access to certain sites, hmm that sounds like China

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

Can't the blocked sites just be accessed via search engines ?? As china had to ask google to block everything to do with tianemin square<spelling> which they didn't and obviously google aren't an ISP

Lee247

How is this going to work
Not being thick here, but we have 4 computers in use in our home. Say, I pay for my music and my Son does not. How will they block him and not me when we use the one broadband connection???
It's lost me.

JackClark

They won't Lee. If you pay for the connection then it's yours, by allowing your child to use that connection for illegal activities it's you that will be in court. I would think that if you'd taken steps to ensure that your son does not download illegal music that it would help should the day come. There's plenty of advice on this available online.

It's a shame that the disconnect between theft and downloading was allowed to grow so far, many parents have posted on here asking how their children can get to the free stuff and openly admit to downloading for their children.

If you feel you can't control your children then how about upping his pocket money and putting the line in his name? Not sure this is possible but might save you a day in court.

EddScott

But this all boils down to using your computers IP address does it not?

Is it not reasonably easy to mask your computer or clone your computer IP address with another?

With the introduction of this bill and the possibility of hiding your IP address, will this not result in occasional users getting clobbered whilst the hardcore criminal, game playing, pot smoking, baby eating 14 year olds that are the stuff of every Daily Mail readers nightmare get away scot free?

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

It's pretty disgusting they way the bill has been passed though.

http://www.skeptobot.com/2010/04/dig...-internet.html

urban

iTrader: (1)

It is to try to suppress illegal downloading

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

As ever with governments the idea is sound, the execution is a joke. Won't work and will just catch the easy targets .... doesn't that sound familiar

Jamz3k

If you download a track from Limewire for instance that you already own on CD, is that still illegal as you have already own a legal copy of the track?

f1_fan

iTrader: (9)

In the UK yes in the same way is technically illegal to copy a CD you bought to your MP3 player.

This is because we have some laws dating from 1710 (yes I kid you not) that govern format shifting of materials such as art, books and these days music and films.

Stupid isn't it?

michaelro

I don't download anything, but I watch football on-line (Streaming) quite often.

Usually the games that are not shown on Sky Sports.

Am I am candidate for being disconnected?
Should I start looking into hiding my IP address....

Jamz3k

I'm not really surprised at your answer but meh, i do it anyway, its easier for me to download a single track and bang it on my mp3 player to listen too in the car than trawl thru hundreds of CD's.

As for downloading stuff I don't own, yep i do it and if i think its worth buying, i'll buy it, if not it goes directly into the PC's recycling bin! I guarantee that if i didn't do this, i'd have bought less CD's thru the years.

kingofturds

iTrader: (1)

I see only 236 mp's bothered to turn up an vote out of 650. Truly democracy in action there and with that slimy weasel mandleson in the lords,, with the backhander he got he will make sure it sails through.

jonc

We may see a growth of "offshore" ISPs and VPN services. They already exist, they cost a little more, but the main thing is the Government will have no jurisdiction on these ISPs and existing ISP could move from the UK and setup in the Isle of Man or the Channel Islands so they do not fall foul of this Bill.

Lee247

I was using my Son in my post as a "for instance"
Thanks for the advice

Dedrater

The other problem that this bill will cause, which at the minute is not such a problem, is WiFi cracking.

If you have a wireless router in your home, a BT home hub etc Then your network can easily be broken into, it doesn't matter if you have 128bit WEP/WPA2, MAC ID filtering enabled. I can get on my neighbors "secured" Hub in sub 15 minutes and do as I please, with absolutely no come back to me.

The solution to that is for everyone to wire there house up, but then this just punishes everyone, even people who do not file share, so a set back for consumers once again.

stevebt

iTrader: (8)

All free wifi zones will be liable for the fines, all you need to do is take your laptop into maccy d's and download what you want there. I wonder how many free wifi places will disappear due to this bil. I assume plenty pubs that have wifi will just abandon it if they get any sort of abuse. Gordon brown is all for increasing the internet so that everyone can enjoy it but this is more of a backward step.

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

what about places like universities etc. I imagine students have access to their internet. I think it's going to cause the authorities a lot of headaches.

Also regarding the different media types it's meant to protect well in a time when exposure is everything i'd say that those who are already established may well lose out revenue stream from people downloading but I bet a lot of films and music etc that would have never had any impact have gained huge exposure due to people downloading stuff from the net.

GC8

People who download music 'illegally' spend twice, on average, what people who dont download 'illegally' do on VDs per annum.

If this new act really had teeth, then itd cost them financially: the very opposite of what the greedy fools think will happen.

GC8

That should read 'CDs'. I dont have any figures relating to VD spending.

urban

iTrader: (1)

How come?
If MAC ID filtering is on, then how can that be bypassed?

WPA etc - yes its easily sorted, but the others?

GC8WRX

Ive said it before and ill say it again, worst case scenario me and my mates will just buy a legit copy of an album we all want then burn 20 copies anyway then dish them out! it will cot us a pound each!



All this copyright stuff is bollocks and unenforcable in the real world; Take buying a dvd, if i take it to a party and play it to 30 people then lend it to someone and he copies it, is that not "revenue loss" as im the only person who paid to watch it, are the other 29 people contributing to piracy?


If i have 20 mates in the garage to watch man u on the projector in the garage, are sky not "losing revenue", therefore we are all contributing to its downfall?


Why is it still illegal in this day and age to copy a legit cd to your mp3 player, that totally unworkable,and needs sorting sharpish!



Are dvd burners going to be banned to make sure we dont copy everything we rent from blockbuster?



What about downloading stuff not available in the uk, the only way to get it is to download it (or pay through the nose for an import)!


The list goes on.......


BTW wasnt the music industry supposed to be dead cos taping stuff killed it in the 80's?