British Government about to try to screw Teh Internets

DarkHoodness · #1 03-16-2010, 08:23 PM

As I'm visiting I might as well drop a link to a petition against this.

You all know what the score is with P2P downloading and stuff vs the media industry, right? This time there's active stuff happening:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2...iracy-scrutiny

The UK government are currently passing a Digital Economy Bill through parliment, possibly inspired by the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, and are being really back-handed about it.

Basically they're trying to get the right to aquire your house address and name from your ISP if they find out that you're using filesharing illegally, and send that info off to media companies so that they can sue you - Forefitting your privacy. And while they're at it, they'll cut off your internet too.

Despite this, it all relies heavily on being able to identify IP addresses - There are ways of hiding your IP address through anonymity systems, and these systems will grow, allowing hardcore filesharers to continue what they do. Meaning that all the bill will do is hit innocent people.

However there's probably nothing to worry about - The European goverment are saying that the internet has become a human right, so the UK goverment may get in trouble over that. There's also serious breaches of data protection. Plus there's the fact that they'll screw over an entire population who rely on the internet for everything - They'll probably make a u-turn once they find out how they can't afford a reputation hit that big.

There is a petition against this bill anyway with 34,144 signatures on it, maybe it won't hurt to sign it if you're a resident of the UK, even it may all come to nothing in the end, although it is worrying that this is an ACTIVE BILL that they're trying to pass RIGHT NOW. You can find the petition here:

http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/dontdisconnectus/

Josh · #2 03-16-2010, 11:30 PM

Well.... shit.

T-nex · #3 03-17-2010, 01:13 AM

That's really retarded :-/ Someone could easily fake an IP, also someone could even use someone else's IP as far a I know.. Fraud and innocent people being involved would be far too easily.

Like my security teacher says, all these politicians know absolutely nothing about technology. They think that blocking IPs and whatnot works. Just like they thought they could block Denmark from entering Thepiratebay, but anyone who has a little brain can bypass the blocking.

Also if the Internet is a human right, then WHY on earth does a danish TV channel require that we all friggin pay 400$ a year to use it? <.<

Hobo · #4 03-17-2010, 03:45 AM

I don't approve of this. At all. Yeah it is easy to hide your IP address, but if the proxy servers are in the UK, how long before they require them to give your IP address on request too?

Wings of Fire · #5 03-17-2010, 05:02 AM

Signed. This is vile.

Ridg3 · #6 03-17-2010, 05:16 AM

Signed and posted on Facebook to get moar people...

Munch's Master · #7 03-17-2010, 05:42 AM

Read the article, and I might've known Peter Mandelson would be behind this. Malicious bastard.

MA · #8 03-17-2010, 06:17 AM

yeah, signed it.

Ridg3 · #9 03-17-2010, 06:38 AM

Havoc · #10 03-17-2010, 07:04 AM

I would sign it but I'm not a UK resident.

DarkHoodness · #11 03-17-2010, 10:37 AM

Here's a vid about the bill that further explains what the government are playing at.

EDIT: Clause 17 of the Bill was rejected (where the government wanted the power to change Copyright law without notifying anyone), so at least that's one less thing to worry about.

MeechMunchie · #12 03-17-2010, 12:12 PM

Disgusted, signed, emailed friends a link.

enchilado · #13 03-17-2010, 05:19 PM

Disgusting. I'd sign if I lived in the UK.

STM · #14 03-19-2010, 10:21 AM

Surely they can't do this we needn't be worried...right?

OANST · #15 03-19-2010, 12:23 PM

Disgusting. I have a booger on my finger.

STM · #16 03-19-2010, 12:27 PM

What did it taste like?

OANST · #17 03-19-2010, 12:46 PM

It tasted like delicious.

DarkHoodness · #18 03-19-2010, 07:13 PM

:

Surely they can't do this we needn't be worried...right?

Sure, they can do whatever the hell they like. :P Until people stop them. But we all know that democracy is one big lie anyway so there's no suprise there.

:

It tasted like delicious.

You sure it didn't taste of salt and ming with a crunchy yet gooey texture?

MarsMudoken · #19 03-19-2010, 11:29 PM

THOSE BASTA...bast!...bastar...darn it.

Point is, this is blasphemy! THIS IS MADNESS!

And to the first man to sparta kick me, let me inform you I have an objection that would make Phoenix Wright jealous.

To put this seriously, I can't believe this! The internet is mankind's greatest creation! Without it I could not speak to gays in England!...that was a tad offensive, sorry. But I consider this inhumane that they would do this! We have a right to download free stuff! Or at least we should! And even so this punishment is crazy! Long live the Internet, in it's mightiness and L337 skillage!

OANST · #20 03-20-2010, 09:09 AM

I'm thinking that the argument stated above is fatally flawed even apart from the fact that it's unintelligible.

DarkHoodness · #21 04-09-2010, 05:52 AM

http://www.metro.co.uk/news/820985-d...haring-illegal

. . . Aaaand it's been passed.

Say goodbye to the internet as you know it, unless this bill gets revoked by the newly elected government after it causes too many problems. This will screw a lot of stuff up.

Hobo · #22 04-09-2010, 05:54 AM

:

Say goodbye to the internet as you know it, unless this bill gets revoked by the newly elected government after it causes too many problems. This will screw a lot of stuff up.

Wow, overreact much? I'm dead against the bill but it certainly won't affect day to day life. The US net neutrality stuff that's going on is far more likely to do that

DarkHoodness · #23 04-09-2010, 06:02 AM

:

Wow, overreact much? I'm dead against the bill but it certainly won't affect day to day life. The US net neutrality stuff that's going on is far more likely to do that

Hence why I said "Say goodbye to the internet as we know it". :P I didn't imply it would affect day to day life.

However at the moment it looks like not many people are paying much attention to this, so it'll probably go ignored for now until people start getting disconnected.

Wings of Fire · #24 04-09-2010, 06:09 AM

Forty MPs turned up to this thing, it's not democracy if any vote I can cast counts for nothing.

Hobo · #25 04-09-2010, 06:17 AM

:

Hence why I said "Say goodbye to the internet as we know it". :P I didn't imply it would affect day to day life.

However at the moment it looks like not many people are paying much attention to this, so it'll probably go ignored for now until people start getting disconnected.

Well, I meant every day life on the internet, it's going to affect basically nothing unless you are involved in downloading copyrighted materials, are a copyright holder or an ISP.

:

Forty MPs turned up to this thing, it's not democracy if any vote I can cast counts for nothing.

I actually wrote to my MP against the bill, he voted for it. The majority of the MPs don't care one way or the other and voted whichever way they were told to by the party leaders.

A lot of people ignore the fact that with a letter or two they can at least attempt to influence the voting in parliament. I suggest you write a letter to your local candidates to ask their opinions.

STM · #26 04-09-2010, 06:52 AM

to be entirely honest, it's not big news, just stop downloading illegally or block your IP address. You can do that can't you.

Hobo · #27 04-09-2010, 06:53 AM

:

to be entirely honest, it's not big news, just stop downloading illegally or block your IP address. You can do that can't you.

What do you mean block your IP address? I think you're not understanding this.

Josh · #28 04-09-2010, 08:16 AM

Wait, I thought parliment was dissolved.

Hobo · #29 04-09-2010, 10:01 AM

It is now

Havoc · #30 04-09-2010, 10:14 AM

They must have looked to our parliament and thought we were cool, lol.

Hm seriously though I haven't been following the news that much, what caused shit to hit the fan over there?