UK ISP TalkTalk has staged a wireless stunt, aimed at illustrating why it thinks Lord Mandelson’s plans to disconnect filesharers is “naive”.
TalkTalk has long been an outspoken critic of government plans to cut off persistent file-sharers.
The stunt demonstrates how innocent people could be disconnected from the network if the plans become law.
The British Phonographic Industry stressed that any new system would educate before disconnecting users.
The music industry has been lobbying government on the issue of internet piracy. According to its figures, there are around 6 million active file-sharers in the UK.
The government is mulling whether to give regulator Ofcom the power to disconnect pirates who repeatedly download illegal content.
It follows intervention from Business Secretary Lord Mandelson to beef up the file-sharing policy originally outlined in the Digital Britain report.
Presumed guilt
But ISPs have argued that it is not their job to police the network. In previous court cases it has been ruled that ISPs are “mere conduits” of content.
Furthermore, they argue that under current plans anyone with unsecured home wi-fi could potentially be stolen by those intent to download music illegally.
They would face the penalties even though they might be unaware their network had been used for nefarious purposes.
The fact that the music industry would presume guilt rather than innocence is a step away from the due process of law in the UK, they say.
“The Mandelson scheme is every bit as wrong-headed as it is naive,” said Andrew Heaney, director of strategy and regulation at TalkTalk.
“The lack of presumption of innocence and the absence of judicial process combined with the prevalence of wi-fi hacking will result in innocent people being disconnected,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »