Battle Between Internet Libertarians and Anti-Piracy Advocates Continues
By Anna Johnson on August 7th, 2008Last Friday was a good day for Internet libertarians i.e. proponents of a free, unfettered Internet. The United States Federal Communications Commission upheld a complaint against the U.S.’s largest cable company for restricting some users’ Internet access on the basis they were using file-sharing software…
This capped off the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s release of an open source software tool called “Switzerland” that enables users to detect whether Internet service providers are restricting their Internet access.
Which is just as well, since there are indications that the entertainment industry, Internet service providers and governments are banding together to crack down on customers using Internet networks to send or receive pirated software and digital content. Not necessarily with any proof.
According to TorrentFreak’s Ernesto, six major ISPs in the U.K. have teamed up with the music industry to start mass warning file-sharers they have “identified” as using copyrighted content without authorization. Meanwhile, France has passed a law that allows the entertainment industry to disconnect alleged pirates after two prior warnings. And there are moves towards similar arrangements in other countries.
Source: Electronic Frontier Foundation, “EFF Releases “Switzerland” ISP Testing Tool”, Electronic Frontier Foundation, August 1, 2008, Ernesto, “Anti-Piracy Lobby Gains Power Over Internet Subscribers”, TorrentFreak, August 3, 2008
