The End of The Internet?

[Malc]

Sounds like Simon is avoliding the piracy issue (quite rightly) but saying they can't or shouldn't be the ones doing it.

Tiscalli have also refused to foot the bill for sending out letters saying the BPI shouild pay.

[Rik]

Technically, it's almost, if not completely, impossible for an ISP to differentiate between legal material and illegal material. The same file could be either, how does the ISP know? IAC, the only way to check is to inspect the entire traffic stream at customer level, packet inspection won't work. That raises privacy issues. What if the data is encrypted, a common technique to bypass throttling?

Much copyright 'theft' is a civil rather than criminal issue anyway.

Law enforcement is for the police and courts, not the ISPs. IAC, there are more important issues for ISPs to deal with, eg child porn.

This is a greedy industry persuading a stupid Govt, imo.

[stevenrw]

There's only one thing that surprises me in this whole matter.
This mob of clowns we currently have in Westminister know about as much about internet traffic monitoring as I do, and that ain't much. So it is something of a surprise that that wag in No11 has not decided to tax illegal downloads rather than try to ban them.
Not like this mob to pass up an opportunity to levy another stealth tax. I bet Gordy wouldn't have missed that opportunity.
Make it legal, then charge for it. Get the ISP's to do your tax collecting for you. Bung some of the cash to the record/movie companies so they keep on donating to the party funds (thank you very much) and we'll keep the rest to pay for looking after everybodys personal records) Perhaps splashing out on a new tin box to keep them all in. Would be a bit more secure than the current system it seems.
So the British punter would get screwed yet again. As I said, I wonder why they've not thought of that yet, or maybe they have....

[Rik]

The Budget will be here shortly.

[Broadback]

Yes, but I bet you have noticed that all the budgets now contain hidden clauses, which come to light over a period of time. N.B. These clkauses never reduce taxation!

[madasahatter]

That's called being a very clever politician - when the rises actually come into play, most people have forgotten that it's you thats responsible 

[Rik]

The increase in taxation for people earning <£17K is a Brownery... 

[Malc]

Thats a double hit for us. Thanks Gordon you t---

[madasahatter]

The increase in taxation for people earning <£17K is a Brownery... 

That's what I mean Rik - our Gordon is long gone from the treasury, so it can't be his fault can it? I bet Blair is just so glad that he's gone 

[Rik]

I'm sure Blair calculated his 'retirement' date very carefully. It's certainly gone pear-shaped since.

[madasahatter]

It does make you wonder what Blair knew that nobody else did doesn't it?

Blair? Slimy? Smug? Objectionable? Devious? Surely not - you'll be saying that Tinky Winky is gay next.

Oh.....wait........ that's already been said hasn't it.

Ok - you'll be saying that Noddy is racist.

Oh.....wait........ that's............................................................ 

[Rik]

 

[madasahatter]

Cheers Rik 

[somanyholes]

a nice article available here http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/02/28/filesharing_downing_st_petition/

well written and explained

[Rik]

So many pitfalls, I can see legal rumblings for years to come.

[Gary]

I think more people will discover the use of browsing by anonymous proxy if this goes ahead

[somanyholes]

the issue is kill, that using browsing proxy's will not hide for example torrent traffic, due to that fact they are http proxy's and only allow the proxying of port 80 (web traffic). Sure you can browse a torrent related site with a proxy but this is not how the recording industries are busting people. They connect for example to a bit torrent swarm and then look at who has for example 100% of a file and then bust them. Due to the fact that the user generally is not using a gateway proxy their ip is revealed. A number of vpn services are available that allow you to vpn to a remote gateway, for example in sweden and then you appear as their ip  address. so your ip is not visable. However these services cost £. People have tried using the likes of tor www.torproject.org but it ruins their network and speeds are very slow, its wrong to use tor if you ask me they provide a decent service. Even then at the end of the day an ip address is not a personally identifiable object.

[madasahatter]

So many pitfalls, I can see legal rumblings for years to come.

Me too - the legal profession is going to do very nicely out of this thank you very much.

Also, what happened to the European ruling that an IP address cannot be used to personally identify a particular user?

Can't really see, either, what the BPI etc expects to get out of this. It's well known that they have abused the legal system in recent years by threatening legal action when they have no intention of using it - it's just leverage to get money out of you. Fine, "pirates" are (supposedly) kicked off the net, but they aren't suddenly gonna go running to the local CD/DVD emporium to spend their hard earned - they will just find yet another way round it all.

[Gary]

You can browse by https though like using something like proxify though. I agree though that you shouldnt use these for such purposes but as I don't use torrent sites for music downloads etc so I'm not to concerned, but then again as has been said many legitimate services use torrents anyway so its a mine field, and even though an IP is not a personally identifiable object I'm sure that will be taken care of probably to make sure it is for the needs of supposed  internet fraud  we will end up with static ones on our ID cards I bet, I mean home taping never killed the music industry like the adverts said did it.

[Rik]

they will just find yet another way round it all.

It's just another form of war, measure and counter-measure, ad infinitum.

[madasahatter]

It's just another form of war, measure and counter-measure, ad infinitum.

Yep totally - but unfortunately, none of this addresses the cause of the problem in the first place - it merely "treats" the symptoms.

[Rik]

Indeed, and puts costs up for legal users. 

[somanyholes]

static ones on our ID cards I bet

thats a scary thought kill, if you want to hack me come to this ip  address, eeek, not good.

[Gary]

Yep totally - but unfortunately, none of this addresses the cause of the problem in the first place - it merely "treats" the symptoms.

which is the cheapest possible route Mad, sad as it is.

[madasahatter]

which is the cheapest possible route Mad, sad as it is.

As usual Gary, the people with the fattest wallets hold the most sway