Mandy gets tough (again)...

Simon · Oct 28, 2009, 14:35:13

The Business Secretary Lord Mandelson says legislation will be drafted to disconnect illegal file sharers from the internet.

Speaking at a government-sponsored forum he said the UK would introduce a similar policy to France.

It means persistent pirates will be sent two warning letters before facing disconnection from the network.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8329915.stm (Video)

zappaDPJ · Oct 28, 2009, 15:15:42

I'd say he's full of p*** and wind. I doubt this is legally enforceable and potentially illegal as I believe it proved to be in France. It raises too many issues to go through including that of privacy.

JohnH · Oct 28, 2009, 15:19:31

I wonder if it will become law before this Government gets booted out, next year?

Rik · Oct 28, 2009, 17:55:20

I doubt it. They haven't addressed the technical issues at all yet.

zappaDPJ · Oct 29, 2009, 10:43:26

The technical issues being that any disconnections will need to go through OpenReach?

Rik · Oct 29, 2009, 10:50:54

That traffic will have to be identified in the first place.

kinmel · Oct 29, 2009, 10:55:38

Quote from: Rik on Oct 29, 2009, 10:50:54
That traffic will have to be identified in the first place.

especially if you use port 80 instead of the 688* range

john · Oct 29, 2009, 12:42:53

I think they're digging a hole for themselves as many more people will resort to encrypted data and the Government will then have even less control over what's on the net.

Rik · Oct 29, 2009, 16:37:23

I agree, John. I just think this is political hype, not thought through. (Was that latter phrase redundant?

)

Glenn · Oct 29, 2009, 16:42:27

The phrase is a government oxymoron

Rik · Oct 29, 2009, 16:44:50

Does that mean a stupid airhead?

Ray · Oct 29, 2009, 16:47:11

Sounds about right, Rik.

Dangerjunkie · Oct 31, 2009, 09:50:15

Quote from: Simon on Oct 28, 2009, 14:35:13
It means persistent pirates will be sent two warning letters before facing disconnection from the network.

Do I sense some talking up of the situation like Gordon Brown's "lethal skunk"? This hardly seems like persistent. Someone inclined to do such a thing could easily download 3 albums in an afternoon and notch up 3 strikes.

Cheers,
Paul.

Rik · Oct 31, 2009, 09:51:24

Too right, Paul, but how would anyone know?

Dangerjunkie · Oct 31, 2009, 09:54:39

I'm assuming that the content industry will just task the likes of Media Defender with monitoring any significant, new content and compiling a list of IP addresses that resolve in the UK.

The whole thing smacks of NuLabour social engineering to me. If you talk about something like it's terrible and imply that anyone who does it 3 times is a serious perp enough times then people will start to believe it cos they read it in the paper.

Rik · Oct 31, 2009, 10:02:53

People will move to proxies though...

zappaDPJ · Oct 31, 2009, 19:08:37

It's rather old fashioned of me I know but I don't recall ever downloading anything illegally. I will however take every step I can to protect my right to privacy if this really does come in which I highly doubt.

Rik · Oct 31, 2009, 19:09:28

Me too, Zap. All talk, like everything else.

Simon · Oct 31, 2009, 19:38:59

Quote from: zappaDPJ on Oct 31, 2009, 19:08:37
It's rather old fashioned of me I know but I don't recall ever downloading anything illegally.

I have, but then I usually buy it afterwards anyway. Sometimes I'll just download one track as a taster, and if I don't like it, I delete it, and if I do like it, I'll buy the CD. No different to going into a record shop and asking to hear something before you buy, really.

Rik · Nov 01, 2009, 01:09:29

I agree. Done that way, it increases sales. Unfortunately, there is a generation for whom such principles don't apply.

D-Dan · Nov 01, 2009, 11:17:38

There are other issues. I will openly admit to downloading music for free. However, the music I download is, according to UK law, out of copyright, and so I am not committing any offence.

I can think of no method by which this can be identified.

Steve

Glenn · Nov 02, 2009, 22:09:04

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8337887.stm

QuotePeople who download music illegally also spend an average of £77 a year buying it legitimately, a survey has found.

So Mandy could actually harm what he is trying to protect

Rik · Nov 03, 2009, 08:54:40

Not that he'll let that get in the way of a headline.

somanyholes · Nov 04, 2009, 11:56:12

this is relevant http://torrentfreak.com/millions-of-file-sharers-hide-their-identities-online-091103/ Perhaps Mandelson should read this.... Then he might understand that he is going to get nowhere.

Rik · Nov 04, 2009, 12:00:40

Mandelson understand something. Now that would be a first!