Press review

Francouzský senát schválil v rekordně krátkém čase zákon umožňující monitorování a odpojování lidí od Internetu bez soudního procesu. Tento zákon je v přímém rozporu s dodatkem 138 (Bono/Cohn-Bendit/Roithová) k Telekomunikačnímu balíčku, který schválil Evropský parlament a i přes protesty francouzského prezidenta Sarkozyho byl podpořen Evropskou komisí. Francouzská ministrině kultury je přesvědčena, že dodatek 138 bude zrušen Evropskou radou. Více viz La Quadrature du Net (anglicky).

http://www.abclinuxu.cz/zpravicky/francie-schvalila-filtrovani-internetu

Französischer Senat beschließt umstrittenes Antipiraterie-Gesetz

"Internet ist keine rechtsfreie Zone"

Das Gesetz sieht ein abgestuftes Sanktionssystem gegen die Nutzer von Tauschbörsen vor. Wer beim Herunterladen urheberrechtlich geschützter Werke erwischt wird, wird zunächst per E-Mail verwarnt. Wird er innerhalb von sechs Monaten ein zweites Mal ertappt, kommt die nächste Verwarnung als Einschreiben per Post. Tauschbörsennutzern, die sich Musik und Filme trotz der beiden Verwarnungen weiterhin illegal aus dem Netz besorgen, soll schließlich der Internetzugang gekappt werden. Dauer der Netzsperre: von einem Monat bis zu einem ganzen Jahr.

10.000 Warn-E-Mails pro Monat

Zuständig für die Umsetzung der gesetzlichen Regelungen ist die neu geschaffene Regierungsbehörde HADOPI ("La Haute Autorité pour la diffusion des oeuvres et la protection des droits sur Internet"). Sie verschickt die Warnungen und weist die Internetprovider im Fall der Fälle an, die Netzzugänge von ertappten Tauschbörsennutzern zu sperren. Christine Albanel, französische Kultusministerin, schätzt, dass die Behörde pro Monat rund 10.000 Warn-E-Mails verschicken wird.

Während die französische Unterhaltungsindustrie den neuen Gesetzentwurf feiert, kommt von Bürgerrechtlern und Verbraucherschützern heftige Kritik. Das Gesetz sei ein Skandal und diene einzig den Interessen der Unterhaltungsindustrie, erklärte die französische Bürgerrechtsorganisation "La Quadrature du Net" ("Die Quadratur des Netzes"). Es führe zu mehr Überwachung, beschneide wichtige Grundrechte und missachte zudem eindeutige Entscheidungen des Europäischen Parlaments. Tatsächlich hatte sich das Europäische Parlament noch Mitte September deutlich gegen das französische Drei-Stufen-Modell zur Bekämpfung der Internetpiraterie ausgesprochen.

[...]

http://www.heute.de/ZDFheute/inhalt/30/0,3672,7399838,00.html

Consumers have been warned that their broadband bills could soar after the EU opened the door to "net neutrality" -- unrestricted, first-come-first-served access to the internet.

(...)

A new Centre for European Policy Studies paper due to be published this week says the US model would oblige normal users to subsidise heavy users, would give no incentive to service providers to invest in new-generation networks and encourage "free-riding" by applications and content providers.

The warnings come before high-level talks in Venice later this week between Viviane Reding, EU media commissioner, and the heads of global telecommunications and cable operators.

Net neutrality is due to be discussed by the EU's 27 telecoms ministers next month when they put the finishing touches to legislation designed to improve regulation, encourage investment and offer broadband coverage to all of Europe's 500 million citizens.

Industry sources said Reding, MEPs and the current French presidency of the EU had opened the back door to net neutrality by tabling amendments to the universal service directive, part of the telecoms package. This would enable national regulators to set minimum quality of service requirements to prevent "degradation" of service or slowing of traffic over networks.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/20/internet-europe

Australians may not be able to opt out of the government's Internet filtering initiative like they were originally led to believe. Details have begun to come out about Australia's Cyber-Safety Plan, which aims to block "illegal" content from being accessed within the country, as well as pornographic material inappropriate for children. Right now, the system is in the testing stages, but network engineers are now saying that there's no way to opt out entirely from content filtering.

(...)

Australia moved forward with its plans despite widespread public outcry and began testing the system in Tasmania in February of this year. At the time, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) said that the filters would be enabled by default and that consumers would have to request unfiltered connectivity if they wished to opt-out of the program.

Well, it turns out now that those promises were only partially true. Internode network engineer Mark Newton told Computerworld that users are able to opt out of the "additional material" blacklist—which targets content inappropriate for children—but not the main blacklist that filters what the Australian government determines is illegal content.

(...)

Assuming this is in fact the way the scheme is implemented in practice, it raises plenty of troubling questions. "Illegal" is a broad definition, leaving users wondering exactly what kinds of content will end up falling prey to the government's apparently mandatory filtering restrictions. Will Big Content be ringing up the Aussie government soon to have tracker sites added to the blacklist? What about sites that discuss topics like at-home bomb making, or something a little less explosive, like DVD decryption tools? And how about those sites that advise users on how to get around the filters? Will various Wikipedia pages be blocked?

Australia continues to ignore its own government-funded studies from 2006 that show ISP-level filtering to be ineffective and costly. The Australian government's disregard for those prior studies suggests that the driving force behind the current plan is more political than technical.

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20081016-net-filters-required-for-a...

Oxy President Bush on Monday signed into law legislation creating a copyright czar, a cabinet-level position on par with the nation's drug czar.

Two weeks ago, the House sent the president the "Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights Act" (.pdf), a measure the Senate approved days before creating a cabinet-level copyright czar charged with implementing a nationwide plan to combat piracy and "report directly to the president and Congress regarding domestic international intellectual property enforcement programs."

The White House successfully lobbied the Senate to remove language tasking the Department of Justice with suing copyright and trademark infringers on behalf of Hollywood (.pdf), the recording industry, manufacturers and software makers. But the Bush administration also said it didn't want (.pdf) a copyright czar, a position on par with the nation's drug czar Congress created in 1982 to wage the war on drugs. Lawmakers, however, sent him the package anyway and the president signed.

The czar is not likely to be appointed until after the elections.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/10/bush-signs-law.html

New Zealand's copyright minister starts screaming when asked whether it's fair to cut people off from the Internet on the basis of three unsubstantiated accusations of copyright infringement

Posted by Cory Doctorow,

"Colin Jackson is a well-known IT consultant in New Zealand and former President of InternetNZ. Colin attended a meeting with the Minister in charge of copyright on Monday to talk about a proposal to kick people off the internet on the basis of three unsubstantiated accusations of copyright infringement, and she lost her temper and yelled at them."

The meeting was set down for 45 minutes from 3:45. When it opened, Judith Tizard spent 30 minutes telling us why the change had to be made. She began by strongly expressing her anger that we had complained to her at this stage in the proceedings. None of us, she said, had been to see her before this on this topic. When we protested that we had worked with the Select Committee, which had removed this provision - and balanced it with one which made licence holders liable for false accusations - she said that this was completely inappropriate of the Select Committee, because Cabinet had already decided this was going ahead. We should not have been surprised, we were told, that this provision was reinserted by the government at the last minute before the bill was passed. (It's worth noting here that Judith has been to the two New Zealand Foo Camps and was engaged roundly on copyright both times.)

(...)

In response to being told that it is technically impossible for ISPs to tell what people are doing, Judith said that it had been done for child pornography and that ISPs need to apply the same standards. It was pointed out that the state defines objectionable material, possession of which is a crime, but there's no equivalent definition for copyright, infringement of which is a civil matter to be determined by courts.

Of all the unreasonable and awful proposals to come out of the entertainment industry, none is so bad as the three-strikes rule, a rule that would leave everyday people vulnerable to having the connection that brings them freedom of speech, of assembly and the press, the link that connects them to family, school, work and government, terminated because someone, somewhere made three accusations of copyright infringement, without having to offer a shred of evidence.

I think there's an easy answer to this: a three-strikes rule that cuts both ways: so yes, we'll cut off anyone who's thrice-accused of copyright infringement, but we should also permanently terminate Internet access for any corporation that makes three improper or incorrect accusations: once Sony or Warners or what-have-you make three bogus accusations, they have to do all their sales, marketing, production and communication by phone and fax. Forever.

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/10/09/new-zealands-copyrig.html

The European Commission has turned down French President Sarkozy's request that it reject the last minute Amendment 138 to the Telecoms Package, introduced and passed at the end of last month by the plenary session of the European Parliament to protect European citizens from arbitrary Internet disconnection, and supported by TelecomTV and digital and citizens' rights groups throughout Europe.

[...]

Sarkozy's government is also part way through introducing a raft of Internet-clamping measures in France and Amendment 138 might prove a roadblock to that process by bolstering any legal challenges sure to mounted by digital rights and citizens' groups there. Amendment 138 requires telecoms regulators to apply the principle that "no restriction may be imposed on the fundamental rights and freedoms of end-users, without a prior ruling by the judicial authorities, notably in accordance with Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union on freedom of expression and information, save when public security is threatened where the ruling may be subsequent." In effect, any disconnection has to have judicial authority - as an ISP, you can't just go cutting users off willy-nilly. In the end the amendment was passed in an open vote with a large majority of 573 votes in favour to 74 votes against, a fact acknowledged by the Commission as a strong democratic mandate to have it stand. So digital rights advocates can claim a small victory in a long, hard fight. Continues after advertisement. Without amending the thrust of the telecom package through 138, national governments would have been more able to oversee the establishment of extra-judicial (kangaroo court) procedures to disconnect users suspected of downloading copyright material.

[...]

Those supporting repressive measures in the European Parliament's Telecoms Package had long argued that they were nothing to do with copyright and three strikes, but were in fact all about chasing down paedophiles and terrorists. In fact the opponents of the measures had got it all wrong, they claimed to television reporters and in newspaper articles, and it was all a fuss about nothing. Now Sarkozy's letter to the commission has blown that argument right out of the water.

http://web20.telecomtv.com/pages/?newsid=43957&id=e9381817-0593-417a-863...

MEMO/08/607 Brussels, 7 October 2008 Commission position on President Sarkozy's letter on Amendment 138 adopted by the European Parliament in plenary vote on 24 September The Commission takes note of the letter received by President Sarkozy last Friday asking the Commission to reject Amendment 138 adopted by the plenary of the European Parliament on 24 September in its vote on the EU Telecoms Package.

[...]

This version of the amendment was adopted by the European Parliament in an open vote with a large majority of 573 votes in favour and 74 votes against. The European Commission respects this democratic decision of the European Parliament. In the Commission's view, this amendment is an important restatement of key legal principles inherent in the legal order of the European Union, especially of citizens' fundamental rights.

http://www.nieuwsbank.nl/en/2008/10/07/v049.htm

The European Commission and deputies of the European Parliament have been discussing amendments to the Telecom Package recently and one of the amendments to the original text is Amendment 138 on the right of end users charged with content piracy to a full and fair judicial review: "No restriction may be imposed on the fundamental rights and freedoms of end users without a prior ruling of the judicial authorities, notably in accordance with Article 11 of the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union on freedom of expression and information, except when public security is threatened, in which case a judicial ruling may be rendered subsequently."

Opponents of content filtering and the law of "gradual retaliation" (a controversial law being considered in France which prohibits the delivery of pirated content on the Internet) considered this to be a victory for end users. The amendment prohibits an EU member from calling an administrative authority instead of a judicial authority to solve problems of piracy.

During a press conference after the vote, Guy Bono, a French European Deputy who was among the three authors of the amendment 138 said, focusing on the French government: "You cannot fool around with individual freedoms. The French government will have to rewrite the `gradual retaliation' law."

(...)

This week, in the French daily newspaper "Liberation" published the copy of a letter supposedly sent by the French President Nicolas Sarkozy to Jose Manuel Baroso, President of the European Commission, approving of the work of the Commission in a project called "Online Creative Content", to be presented to the European Parliament next year. Sarkozy adds: "It is crucial for the Commission to be vigilant to threats coming the European Parliament during the first vote of the third "Telecom Package". It is especially fundamental that the amendment 138 be rejected by the Commission. This amendment tries to prevent States from applying an intelligent strategy against piracy."

In a conference in Nice, where Viviane Reding, European Commissioner for information society was speaking about the internet of things, she said that: "The Telecom Package has nothing to do with the content. It is only about infrastructure."

Regarding the "online creative content" project, she added: "We have a vision of freedom on the Internet, freedom of access for Internet users and protecting the author rights." She reminded people that the role of the Commission is only to prepare legislative proposals. "It is to the Parliament and to the Council of Ministers to make the law."

http://www.muniwireless.com/2008/10/07/eu-moves-to-protect-users-rights-...

Everybody knew that when the French under N. Sarkozy assumed Presidency of the Council strange things would happen. Indeed, Aigrain mocked it in his blog. Sarkozy intervened at Commissioner Reding or precisely at the Commission president not to accept Amendment 138 of the Trautmann report (Telecom Package) which was voted by Parliament. The Sarkozy "short circuit" didn't succeed. Good for constitutional reasons.

[...]

This version of the amendment was adopted by the European Parliament in an open vote with a large majority of 573 votes in favour and 74 votes against. The European Commission respects this democratic decision of the European Parliament. In the Commission's view, this amendment is an important restatement of key legal principles inherent in the legal order of the European Union, especially of citizens' fundamental rights.

http://rebentisch.blogspot.com/2008/10/reding-fences-off-french-presiden...

La Commissione europea ha risposto con un netto "no" oggi a Bruxelles alla richiesta del presidente Sarkozy di bocciare la posizione dell'Europarlamento contro un progetto di legge francese per la protezione della propriet intellettuale su internet. La nuova legge, che dovrebbe essere approvata entro l'anno, attribuirebbe all'authority di regolazione nazionale delle Tlc il potere di monitorare il traffico via internet e tagliare il collegamento alla rete di presunti 'pirat scoperti a scaricare abusivamente film, musica e qualunque altro contenuto coperto dal diritto d'autore. Il 24 settembre scorso, nell'ambito del pi generale 'pacchetto telecom', il Parlamento europeo ha approvato una sorta di 'censura preventiv nei riguardi di questo progetto di legge, approvando a grandissima maggioranza (573 voti contro 74) l'emendamento 138 in cui si chiede ai regolatori nazionali di applicare il principio secondo il quale, salvo che in caso di minaccia per la pubblica sicurezza, nessuna restrizione pu essere imposta sui diritti e le libert fondamentali degli utenti finali, senza la previa autorizzazione delle autorit giudiziarie, segnatamente in accordo con l'Art.

http://www.lastampa.it/_web/cmstp/tmplrubriche/tecnologia/grubrica.asp?I...

von Simon Muller

Let it be clear that as the Commissioner for Information Society & Media, one of my key concerns is to ensure that the internet remains open from the point of view of service providers wanting to deliver new, innovative services, AND open from the point of view of consumers wanting to access the services of their choice and create the content of their choice.

But we must recognise that openness for innovation sometimes cannot exclude legitimate network management practices. For instance, traffic prioritisation can sometimes be an important driver of value and growth for operators. The Commission's vision of an open and competitive digital market does allow for traffic prioritisation, especially for providing more innovative services or managing networks effectively. We have to allow network providers to experiment with different consumer offerings. In the end, it will be up to the consumers to decide to change to a provider that offers them what they would like.

For the future, the Commission has proposed, in its review of the Telecoms package, to create the possibility of setting minimum quality levels for network transmission services based on technical standards identified at EU level.

http://www.telemedicus.info/article/994-Net-Neutrality-Was-will-die-EG.h...

The European Union has avoided controversy (but annoyed the French) by voting no to a policy that would have seen internet users cut for illegally downloading copyright material from the internet. The "three strikes and you're out" policy is already being adopted in France, policed by the country's internet service providers.

(...)

EU officials did, however, vote in the third and final amendment, which concerned the importance of people to have access to digital content.

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/17983/19007/EU-votes-on-fil...

Propaganda is probably too light of a term to describe this piece of propaganda.

We're referring to an educational comic strip (fat .pdf) on unlawful file sharing of music developed by judges and professors to teach students about the law and the courtroom experience.

It was produced by the National Center for State Courts, a nonprofit describing itself as an "organization dedicated to improving the administration of justice by providing leadership and service to court systems in the United States."

But the story line here is a miscarriage of justice at best -- even erroneously describing file sharing as a city crime punishable by up to two years in prison.

[...]

"The purpose is basically to educate kids -- middle school and high school-aged about how the justice system operates and about what really goes on in the courtroom as opposed to what you see on television," said Lorri Montgomery, the center's communications director.

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/08/nonprofit-distr.html

France's much talked about "three strikes" law receive a spirited non! from the European Parliament this week, but French and EU officials are already claiming that the vote won't ultimately impact so-called "graduated response" schemes.

The EU Parliament voted Wednesday to pass the "Telecom Package," [...]

Hundreds of amendments were tabled, making the entire legislative process difficult to follow, but two of the key changes proposed were Amendments 133 and 138. As the UK's Open Rights Group points out, 133 would have prevented EU countries from requiring local ISPs to filter content.

138, introduced by a French Socialist MEP Guy Bono (who gets extra points in our book for that moustache) would have prevented any action against Internet users without prior judicial intervention. In other words, Bono insisted that courts need to be involved in any disconnection procedure--exactly the sort of slow process backers of graduated response plans hope to avoid.

It was only a matter of hours before the spin began. Interest in this question is obviously keen in France, and papers like Libration went to the French government for a response. The Minister of Culture, Christine Albanel, told the paper that amendment 138 would probably turn out to have no real bearing on France's proposed three strikes rule.

Why not? The answer became clear when EU Commissioner Viviane Reding, who spearheaded the telecom reforms, announced her hope to force the removal of the amendment by the Commission. Advocacy group La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) called this unacceptable, saying that it was "a completely unsuitable request from Mrs. Reding, under the basic democratic principle recalled in the amendment (i.e. the separation of powers), but also under the parliamentary plebiscite it collected (574 MEPs for, 73 against)."

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080928-eu-parliament-judges-must-...

Various readers are sending in good news from Europe on the rights front. First, at the EU level, Mark.J brings word that the European Parliament has canned a number of controversial amendments to its updated Telecoms Package, which could have resulted in ISPs being forced to disconnect customers for involvement in illegal file-sharing of copyrighted material.

[...]

Finally, from Sweden, an update on the draconian so-called Lex Orwell, which would have effectively resulted in the routine wiretapping of the entire nation. Eric Blair sends a link on an agreement reached between the Swedish parliament and the sitting government on a new form for the controversial signals intelligence law. Supposedly, the sting has been taken out of the law: only the department of defense and the cabinet may request data, and they'll have to get court approval for it.

http://www.privacydigest.com/2008/09/26/positive+rights+news+europe

What happened with the "Telecoms Package" (that I have mentioned here and here)? It seems that most of the worrying amendments regarding copyright issues (especially the three strikes approach) were not adopted by the European Parliament. A detailed analysis by La Quadrature du Net will be published in the next days. However, it was an impressive example of digital citizen lobbyism. If you read German head over to netzpolitik.org and heise.de. EurActiv has a long and rather general article on the whole initiative. But it is true: the Internet is rather quiet about this success in the European Parliament as A Fistful of Euros notes. Bashing the EU is much easier, I guess.

http://kosmopolit.wordpress.com/2008/09/26/good-news-from-the-european-p...

"The European Parliament adopted in first reading yesterday, the 24th of September, the Telecom Package

[...]

"Although the European Parliament argues that consumers are the real winners of this Package being adopted, the Telecom Package has unfortunately been used by several MEPs to introduce a new line of intervention against filesharing on the Internet", commented Marina Barbalata, Co-Spokesperson of the Federation of Young European Greens (FYEG). "This measure is only one step from the criminalisation of young people, the main group of Internet filesharing users. This vote, based on the total misunderstanding of the Web 2.0 by some MEPs, may lead to the loss of basic civil liberties and rights in the virtual world - the right to copy for private use in particular. Such a measure can prevent the success of innovative filesharing softwares for universities, scientists and libraries. I strongly doubt this really is to the benefit of the European consumer.", continued Marina Barbalata.

More information:

- Harbour Report as approved in the EP on September 24th

- Analysis of the dangerous amendments by Digital Rights activists La Quadrature du Net

http://blog.p2pfoundation.net/anti-p2p-amendments-pass-first-reading-in-...

A just-formed lobbying group of content producers, equipment makers and internet gatekeepers said Thursday that internet service providers should embrace filtering.

Behind the lobby are AT&T, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, NBC Universal, Viacom and the Songwriters Guild of America. Among other things, the lobby, called Arts+Labs, says "network operators must have the flexibility to manage and expand their networks to defend against net pollution and illegal file-trafficking which threatens to congest and delay the network for all consumers."

[...]

Running the new lobby is Mike McCurry, President Clinton's press secretary and departing chairman of Hands off the Internet, a group of telcos and others opposing net neutrality.

Still, network-level filtering technology isn't ready for prime time. And it remains to be seen whether filtering could account for fair use or could decipher whether copyright material along a network was authorized to be there.

(FCC said) "We also note that because consumers are entitled to access the lawful internet content of their choice, providers, consistent with federal policy, may block transmissions of illegal content (e.g., child pornography) or transmissions that violate copyright law. To the extent, however, that providers choose to utilize practices that are not application- or content-neutral, the risk to the open nature of the internet is particularly acute and the danger of network-management practices being used to further anti-competitive ends is strong."

http://blog.wired.com/27bstroke6/2008/09/entertainment-l.html

Swedens EU parliamentary delegation is rejoicing following a decision by the body to toss out a proposal that would have banned file sharers from the internet and forced internet service providers to filter content in the hunt for pirated material.

Whats important about this decision is that now its clear that you cant force [internet service] providers to ban people from the internet without a legal process, said Moderate Party EU parliamentarian Christofer Fjellner to the TT news agency. Fjellner had been a fierce opponent of the proposal, which was part of a larger reform package passed by the EU parliament on Wednesday to boost competition in the EU telecoms sector. While many of the proposed reforms were welcomed by the EU parliament because they were seen to benefit consumers, the proposal regarding file sharing was quite controversial, prompting a furious effort by EU parliamentarians from both ends of Swedens political spectrum to jettison the proposal. Eva-Britt Svensson of the Left Party also sits in the EU parliament and succeeded in moving the body to support an amendment requiring a legal process in suspected file sharing cases.

http://www.thelocal.se/14548/20080924/

Still time to email your MEP regarding the Telecoms Package Amendments

There is still time to email / fax your Member of the European Parliament e.g. via WriteToThem.com, ahead of tomorrow's vote on some dubious amendments to some forthcoming European Union telecommunications and internet legislation.

See The Open Rights Group for details: ask your MEPs to vote for Telecom package amendments 133 and 138

La Quadrature du Net has a wiki with the Telecom Plenary Package Amendments in question.

http://p10.hostingprod.com/@spyblog.org.uk/blog/2008/09/still-time-to-em...

Later this month, the European Parliament will debate the Telecoms Package, and with it three amendments that seriously affect the neutrality of the net in Europe. La Quadrature du Net has a briefing on the issue, while the European Greens are split on some of the details. Look out for more discussion of this over the coming weeks.

(...)

http://www.tredford01.co.uk/thursday/files/726fae19e109f14eb6e1e9eefd3b0...

En el Parlamento Europeo están a punto de votar una barbaridad.

...

El lunes 7, a las 7 de la tarde, en Estrasburgo, se reúne el comité de Mercado Interno y Protección del Consumidor (IMCO). En el orden del día, el Paquete de Telecomunicaciones. Se votarán las enmiendas bautizadas como "enmiendas-torpedo" por la Asociación de Internautas y La Quadrature du Net. Se trata de otro ataque a la libertad y a la neutralidad de la red, en un nuevo intento de evitar las descargas que ellos llaman "ilegales" (nosotros decimos "compartir").

http://www.informaticaverde.org/blog/?p=54

Il Parlamento Europeo sta discutendo una nuova normativa di "armonizzazione" tra i paesi europei delle regole sulle telecomunicazioni che darebbe un giro di vite sul file-sharing

Un documento della UE, nel promuovere il pacchetto di proposte, recita che "L'attuale frammentazione scoraggia gli investimenti e danneggia sia i consumatori che gli operatori". Il cosiddetto Telecom Packet propone, tra l'altro, che i navigatori "pescati" per tre volte a scambiare materiale protetto da copyright sui network di file-sharing siano esclusi dall'accesso a Internet. Altri emendamenti riguarderebbero quali software possono essere usati sul web. In quest'ultimo caso sarebbero i governi dei singoli stati a poter decidere. Potremmo arrivare al punto che programmi come Skype o Firefox potrebbero essere fuori legge se non certificati dalle autorit. Gli attivisti hanno gi detto che queste leggi sono contro la privacy e fanno dei provider Internet dei guardiani del copyright.

[...]

Secondo Christophe Espern, cofondatore del gruppo per i diritti digitali La Quadrature du Net, si tratta addirittura di misure orwelliane.

http://www.techup.it/news/al_voto_le_leggi_europee_antipirateria-0729

France is about to enact laws that penalise persistent file-sharers

Europeans suspected of putting movies and music on file-sharing networks could be thrown off the web under proposals before Brussels.

...

Campaigners say the laws trample on personal privacy and turn net suppliers into copyright enforcers.

...

"[The amendments] pave the way for the monitoring and filtering of the internet by private companies, exceptional courts and Orwellian technical measures," said Christophe Espern, co-founder of French rights group La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) in a statement.

The UK's Open Rights Group said the laws would be "disproportionate and ineffective".

...

MEP Malcolm Harbour, rapporteur for users rights and the e-privacy directive who has helped oversee the Telecoms Package, challenged the rights groups view of the amendments.

"The intention of the directive is nothing like direction they are claiming," he said.

The reforms to the package would likely improve rights for consumers, he said adding that there was no mention of specific anti-piracy measures in the Package.

It is not clear yet whether the amendments will be accepted in full. In April 2008 European politicians voted against similar proposals that would have seen suspected file-sharers thrown off the net.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7492907.stm

Französische Musikindustrie macht Druck bei Internetsperren Meldung vorlesen

Der Verband der Musikindustrie in Frankreich, das Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP), hat die Regierung unter Präsident Nicolas Sarkozy aufgefordert, den Gesetzentwurf zum Kappen von Netzzugängen bei Urheberrechtsverletzungen noch vor der Sommerpause ins Parlament einzubringen. "Es wäre nicht akzeptabel", erklärte ein SNEP-Specher, falls die Abgeordneten in diesem Halbjahr nicht mehr über das Vorhaben beraten könnten. Die im November angeköndigte Initiative ist noch nicht weit gekommen, und ihre Verabschiedung verzögert sich derzeit weiter.

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/Franzoesische-Musikindustrie-macht-Druck-...

DEFENDAMOS NUESTROS CIBERDERECHOS
Eurodiputados quieren torpedear la libertad en Internet el 7 de Julio

Una semana antes de un voto crucial en la reforma de la ley europea de comunicaciones electrónicas, La Quadrature du Net (La Cuadratura de la Red) denuncia una serie de enmiendas dirigidas a cerrar la arquitectura abierta de Internet para un mayor control y vigilancia de los usuarios.

03-07-2008 - Nota traducida de la Quadrature du net

Bruselas, 1 de julio de 2008 , actualizado el 2 de julio de 2008-07-02

A los usuarios de Internet de Europa se les podría impedir realizar actividades lícitas por medio de spyware obligatorio, en aras a su seguridad. Por tanto, el derecho a usar software libre para acceder a Internet no estaría asegurado nunca más. La neutralidad de la Red también está directamente atacada, al ser el principio de que los intermediarios técnicos no tienen la obligación de la vigilancia previa de los contenidos. Otras enmiendas permitirán de facto a las autoridades administrativas a que obliguen a los ISPs a trabajar conjuntamente con la policía privada de los productores de contenidos y de los gestores de derechos de autor, incluído el envío de mensajes intimidatorios, sin supervisión judicial.

http://www.internautas.org/html/5039.html

A new EU anti-piracy law incorporates elements that could affect the development of the digital world in coming years.

The law, known as Telecom Packet, the difficults the live of pirates with the law called "three-strike". The law at issue three warnings apply to users who downloaded illegal material before expelled from the Internet.

"The laws allow private companies monitor Internet traffic and filters," explains Christophe Espern, the French defence group for privacy and digital rights The Quadrature du Net.

...

http://www.proitzone.com/2008/07/11/firefox-and-skype-could-be-declared-...

Making laws in the European Union is a long, complicated and often tedious process that involves a delicate ballet featuring the Council of Ministers, the Parliament and the Commission.

Several amendments from British MEP Syed Kamall, a member of the Conservative group, have been criticised by those campaigning for a more open net, including a change to Article 21 (4a) that asks member states to oblige them to “distribute public interest information to existing and new subscribers when appropriate. Such information shall be produced by the relevant public authorities in a standardised format” and may include “Illegal uses of electronic communications networks” including infringement of copyright and related rights”

This reads like a call for a public information campaign, but observers like the UK-based Open Rights Group and the French-based La Quadrature du Net believe it would oblige ISPs to contact subscribers when they are accused of transmitting licensed content without permission, for example when using file-sharing networks or downloading from unauthorised sources.

Another amendment put forward by Kamall allows that ‘traffic data may be processed’ to ensure the security of a public electronic communication service’, which the campaigners read as giving carte blanche to the content providers to monitor and control what happens on the network on the grounds that copying files or breaking digital rights management counts as a ’security’ breach.

http://www.p2pnet.net/story/16338

Last November, the European Commission proposed a wide review of the rules on EU electronic communications, the so-called 'Telecoms package'. The proposals include upgrading the Directive Pdf external on personal data and protection of privacy for electronic services (see our Links Dossier).

Several parliamentary committees are involved in the dossier on data protection, but two have a binding say on framing the European Parliament's final text. These are the Internal Market and Civil Rights Committees.

The Council is expected to give its final opinion on the issue in November under the current French EU Presidency.

...

Behind this unusual rejection lies the LIBE Committee's intention to allow the processing of electronic traffic data by "any natural or legal person", without the consent of the user, if it is necessary for security purposes. Socialist and Green MEPs belonging to the IMCO Committee are not at ease with this wording.

Traffic data include several pieces of information which are considered private by many, particularly IP addresses (the first source of identity in the online world) and information relating to the duration, timing, volume and origins of an electronic communication.

Positions:

Civil liberty group 'Squaring the Net' says the LIBE Committee amendment represents "a major breach for the protection the protection of personal data and privacy, as it allows businesses to remotely control users' electronic communications without their consent". It adds that such a measure "paves the way for the deployment of intrusive technologies on the client".

A spokesperson for the IMCO Committee said that "some MEPs are not certain to accept in the plenary vote the amendments proposed by the LIBE Committee", underlining that there could be problems and that there might be a need "for more time".

Next steps:

* Sep. 2008: Vote on Telecoms package planned in the plenary, although disagreements over electronic data protection could delay the vote.

http://www.euractiv.com/en/infosociety/eu-parliament-split-electronic-da...

Here's the story that's been making headlines in Europe over the last few days: the EU is getting ready to impose Internet traffic monitoring fit for a police state, might ban all peer-to-peer software, and is ready to implement a "three strikes and you're off the 'Net" policy for users sharing copyrighted files. Gross exaggerations, of course, but you wouldn't necessarily know that if you'd read the news sections of online rights groups, or even the website of the venerable BBC. The phrasing in these reports appear to have originated in press releases from two Internet privacy groups that have what can be charitably called an overheated take on some of the EU legislation's provisions.

Ambiguities, not communism

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That ambiguity hasn't stopped a number of groups from drawing some very unambiguous conclusions about those provisions. The BBC report echoes the contentions of the Foundation for a Free Information Infrastructure, which accused the European Parliament rushing towards a "Soviet Internet." That contention appears to be based on a provision on packet filtering. Benjamin Henrion, an FFI representative, also charged that the legislation will create some sort of software licensing authority. "Tomorrow," he stated, "popular software applications like Skype or even Firefox might be declared illegal in Europe if they are not certified by an administrative authority."

Those claims are reiterated and extended by the French group La Quadrature du Net, which issued an analysis (PDF) of several amendments last week. In addition to accusations of spying and censorship, the group decries a provision that they term "blackmail by e-mail." This would codify the use of warning letters sent to copyright infringers by ISPs. Oddly, these warning letters are conflated with the "three strikes" proposals, which would ban the infringers after repeated warnings. (The European Parliament rejected the idea of a widespread "three strikes" rule only a couple of months ago.)

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http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080709-proposed-eu-telecom-amendm...

Proposals have been put before European authorities that could see ISPs adopting a far stricter policy towards internet users who illegally download copyrighted music and movie content.

The Telecom Packet includes the proposal of several laws that would see Europeans suspected of putting movies and music on file-sharing networks thrown off the web. A Europe-wide "three strikes" law could be made law which would see users banned from the web if they fail to heed three warnings that they are suspected of putting copyrighted works on file-sharing networks.

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"[The amendments] pave the way for the monitoring and filtering of the internet by private companies, exceptional courts and Orwellian technical measures", said Christophe Espern, co-founder of French rights group La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net) in a statement. The Foundation for a Free Internet Infrastructure (FFII) added that the amendments would create a "Soviet internet". "Tomorrow, popular software applications like Skype or even Firefox might be declared illegal in Europe if they are not certified by an administrative authority", warned Benjamin Henrion, FFII representative in Brussels, in a statement.

http://www.pocket-lint.co.uk/news/news.phtml/15960/16984/EU-crackdown-mu...

According to BBC News, members of the European Parliament voted yesterday in favor of advancing new telecom reform legislation known as the Telecoms Package that includes a series of controverisal amendments that digital rights activists say would pave the way for a 'three-strikes' law against online copyright infringers in Europe.

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Opponents, led by a French group called La Quadrature du Net, warn that the legislation designed to harmonize Europe's telecom laws would instead threaten the openness of the Internet by requiring ISPs to give individuals suspected of downloading unauthorized copyright material two warnings before cutting off their Net access entirely. Another organization, Free Internet Infrastructure (FFII), went a step further, saying that a provision that would give the government the power to determine what type of software can be used online (and what can't) would lead to a "Soviet Internet" in Europe.

The European Parliament will vote on the legislation in September.

http://techpolicysummit.blogs.com/tech_policy_summit/2008/07/eu-parliame...

Gestern Abend gabe es im EU-Parlament in Strassburg einen Abstimmungs-Marathon über das Telekom-Paket. Der Binnenausschuss [IMCO] musste 300 Änderungsanträge (Amendments) behandeln, der Industrieausschuss [ITRE] gar ca. 800. Aus diesen Gründen gibt es bisher auch kaum verlässliche detaillierte Informationen, welche Kompromisse durchgekommen sind. Die Futurezone berichtet als erstes mit Verweis auf Eva Lichtenberger von den Österreichischen Grünen, dass zumindest die Eu-weiten Internet-Sperrungen nach dem französischen Modell keine Mehrheiten gefunden haben: Entscheidung über “Telekompaket“. Mal schauen, was im Laufe des Tages noch analysiert wird und was konkret in etwa 30 Kompromissen zusammengefasst wurde. Ich hab schon Positionspapiere dazu gesehen, wo ich aber nicht wirklich von der verwendeten Sprache überzeugt war.

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Unklar ist, was jetzt mit den “rechtmässigen Inhalten” ist (”lawful content”). Die Verwendung dieses Begriffes in den Kompromissen muss da noch bis Plenums-Abstimmung im September raus. Weil es unklar ist, wie die Provider denn ermitteln sollen, was “rechtmässige” und im Umkehrschluss “unrechtmässige” Inhalte sind. Dies würde einen Eingriff in die Netzinfrastruktur bedeuten und stellt eine ähnliche Herausforderung dar,w ie beispielsweise die chinesische Netzzensur. Wahlweise kann man direkt bestimmte (P2P-)Dienste blocken oder mit Deep-Packet-Inspection einfach mal den kompletten Datenverkehr analysieren, bewerten und sonstwas damit machen. Das ist nicht akzeptabel und verletzt die Netzneutralität.

http://netzpolitik.org/2008/eu-ausschuss-abstimmungen-zum-telekom-paket/

Making laws in the European Union is a long, complicated and often tedious process that involves a delicate ballet featuring the Council of Ministers, the Parliament and the Commission.

...

This reads like a call for a public information campaign, but observers like the UK-based Open Rights Group and the French-based La Quadrature du Net believe it would oblige ISPs to contact subscribers when they are accused of transmitting licensed content without permission, for example when using file-sharing networks or downloading from unauthorised sources.

...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/7493365.stm

Internet-Provider sollen generell überwachen, wer Raubkopien ins Netz hochlädt und die beltäter einer Copyright-Behörde melden. Das wollen EU-Parlamentarier in ein Gesetz schreiben. Bürgerrechtler protestieren, im europäischen Parlament formiert sich nun Widerstand.

Harte Worte: "Das EU-Parlament drängt auf ein Sowjet-Internet" betitelt die Bürgerrechtsorganisation "Förderverein für eine Freie Informationelle Infrastruktur" (FFII) einen Protestaufruf. FFII-Präsident Alberto Barrionuevo beschreibt darin aktuelle EU-Gesetzesvorhaben als Vorhaben, "alle Bürger auszuspionieren, um das Urheberrecht zu schützen".

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Auf dem Programm stehen nderungsvorschläge wie dieser des rumänischen Abgeordneten Cristian Silviu Buoi, der Internet-Provider verpflichten will, das Surfverhalten ihrer Kunden zu kontrollieren. Aus seinem nderungsvorschlag zitiert die französische Bürgerrechtsgruppe "La Quadrature du Net":

"Mitgliedsstaaten sollen sicherstellen, dass Kundenverträge ein System von Warnungen und Sanktionen beinhalten, das Kunden sanktioniert, deren Internetverbindung für illegale Zwecke verwendet wird."

MEHR BER...

Urheberrecht Copyright Peer- to- Peer Tauschbörse berwachung "Förderverein für eine Freie Informationelle Infrastruktur" zu SPIEGEL WISSEN hnlich wie in Frankreich zielen viele der von "La Quadrature du Net" und dem FFII veröffentlichten nderungsanträge für EU-Gesetze darauf ab, Provider stärker in die Kontrollpflicht zu nehmen. Die Flut an nderungsanträgen ist kaum zu überblicken, EU-Abgeordnete und Industrie-Ausschussmitglied Erika Mann (SPD) schätzt: "In unserem und dem Binnenmarktsausschuss stehen derzeit mehr als hundert nderungsanträge an, die eine verschärfte Internetkontrolle durch die Provider erzwingen sollen."

Viele dieser Vorschläge, so die Abgeordnete im Gespräch mit SPIEGEL ONLINE, würden von EU-Parlamentariern aus Frankreich und Grobritannien kommen: "Diese nderungen drängen auf eine verdachtsunabhängige berwachung des Datenverkehrs durch die Internet-Provider."

http://www.spiegel.de/netzwelt/web/0,1518,564227,00.html

A high-level European vote on communications legislation will take place on Monday evening, raising fears that alleged file-sharers will be denied internet access by their internet service providers.

The vote concerns the passage of a parcel of laws called the 'Telecoms Package'. The Telecoms Package contains several amendments recently added by British Conservative MEPs Malcolm Harbour and Syed Kamall that cover copyright issues. Some experts and campaigners argue that these amendments are worded to lay the foundation for so-called 'three strikes and you're out' legislation to be introduced in Europe.

...

At the forefront of the campaign against the Telecoms Package amendments is a French group called La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the net). The most strident support for a 'three strikes' law from a national leader has come from the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy. La Quadrature, which describes itself as a 'citizen group', has claimed the amendments "seriously threaten the open architecture of the internet, [the] mere-conduit principle, and the rights and fundamental freedoms of its users".

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/internet/0,1000000097,39443797,00.htm

MADRID.- Las alarmas han saltado entre los activistas a favor de la neutralidad de la Red y de los derechos de los internautas, a raz de varias polmicas medidas contra el intercambio de archivos en Internet que el Parlamento Europeo tiene encima de la mesa.

El comit de Mercado Interno y Proteccin del Consumidor (IMCO) tiene previsto votar una serie de enmiendas encaminadas, en teora, a controlar los actos ilcitos en la Red.

Propuestas por el conservador britnico Malcolm Harbour, las enmiendas de la discordia son, concretamente, tres.

La H1 habilitara a los gobiernos para establecer restricciones a los contenidos ilcitos en la Red, sobre todo en los que respecta a la calidad del servicio, lo que implicara, por ejemplo, reducir la velocidad de descarga del P2P. La H2 establecera mecanismos de colaboracin entre proveedores de Red y productores de contenido. Por ltimo, la H3 obligara a los proveedores a controlar y avisar a los usuarios que se descarguen contenidos 'ilcitos'.

Desde sitios como Informtica Verde, la Quadrature du Net o la Asociacin de Internautas se han calificado dichas enmiendas como 'Enmiendas-torpedo' y las han criticfado duramente ya que, segn ellos, atacan directamente a la neutrailidad de la Red.

http://www.elmundo.es/navegante/2008/07/07/tecnologia/1215427704.html

Mr. President,

I am writing you on my very own behalf.

I have a bone to pick with you, and the readers of my blog should know my opinion in regards to what you and your government are trying to do to the Internet in the name of the so-called French culture. So in respect of the international audience of this blog, I am compelled to address you in English.

...

Culture, and more precisely French culture, strikes me today as being something you and I have come to disagree on. Your " Three Strikes" approach to what is referred to as the " Internet Piracy" appears to me and many others as failing to address today's challenges of our connected world while depriving citizens and businesses alike from the most elementary rights. Is this your solution to preserving the French culture?

...

This calls for three major objections:

First, "killing the artistic creation" does not mean what it initially seems to. ...

Second, this " Internet Piracy" as some call it, is a vague concept. ...

Third and last, I would like to point out what I believe to be a lack of coherence with the rationale put forth in this project. ...

http://standardsandfreedom.net/index.php/2008/07/06/an-open-letter-to-th...

El lunes 7, a las 7 de la tarde, en Estrasburgo, se rene el comit de Mercado Interno y Proteccin del Consumidor (IMCO). En el orden del da, el Paquete de Telecomunicaciones. Se votarn las enmiendas bautizadas como "enmiendas-torpedo" por la Asociacin de Internautas y La Quadrature du Net. Se trata de otro ataque a la libertad y a la neutralidad de la red, en un nuevo intento de evitar las descargas que ellos llaman "ilegales" (nosotros decimos "compartir").

http://www.internautas.org/html/5042.html

"ZeroPaid is reporting that ISPs could be turned into the copyright police through European legislation that received a number of 'intellectual property' amendments. Many of these amendments can be found here. Judging by the amendments, ISPs could be mandated to block legitimate traffic in an effort to 'prevent' illegitimate traffic. To help stop this legislation, you can check out the action page. Additional coverage can be found on EDRI and Open Rights Group."

http://tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/07/03/0310203

An appeal from three European NGOs - La Quadrature du Net, netzpolitik.org and EDRi-member Open Rights Group - reveal some disturbing MEPs amendments to the draft directives to reform the EU framework on electronic communications (telecom package).

The review of the telecom package was merely focusing on telecom-related issues (except for discussions on the ePrivacy directive, which is the subject of another EDRi-gram article in the current issue), but some of the 800 amendments on the 5 directives that form the current package might go further than just establishing the rules for a functioning electronic communications market and could endanger the principle of the neutrality of the Internet.

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"The politicians who engage in these summer manoeuvres dishonour Europe and their mandate. They rely on the fact that nobody watches them few days before Parliamentary holiday, to divert the Telecom package from its primary objectives of consumer protection. They pave the way for the monitoring and filtering of the Internet by private companies, exceptional courts and Orwellian technical measures. It is inconceivable for freedom but also for European economic development. We call on all MEPs to oppose what they have already rejected." said Christophe Espern, co-founder of La Quadrature du Net (Squaring the Net).

http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number6.13/telecom-package-internet

Bürgerrechtler und Blogger rufen zu Protesten gegen jüngste Änderungsanträge zur geplanten Novelle des EU-Gesetzespakets zur Regulierung des Telekommunikationsmarktes auf.

In den umstrittenen Vorschlägen konservativer Abgeordneter geht es vor allem um die Einführung einer Regelung, wonach Internetzugänge bei wiederholten Urheberrechtsverletzungen gekappt werden sollen ("Three-Strikes"-Bestimmung). Generell soll die Nutzung illegaler Inhalte durch ein staatlich lizenziertes Überwachungssystem verhindert werden. Die Änderungsanträge würden aber noch weit darüber hinausgehen, heißt es in einer gemeinsamen Erklärung der Bürgerrechtsorganisationen La Quadrature du Net aus Frankreich und der britischen Open Rights Group mit dem Blog netzpolitik.org. Es würde auch das Prinzip der Freiheit und Offenheit des Internet in Form der Netzneutralität gefährdet.

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Die Internetnutzer rufen die Bürgerrechtler auf, sich noch im Lauf der Woche vor den entscheidenden Ausschussabstimmungen am Montag an ihre Volksvertreter in Brüssel zu wenden und sie auf die verheerenden "Torpedo-Ergänzungen" hinzuweisen. Sie haben dazu eine Wiki-Seite eingerichtet mit ganz konkreten Anleitungen auf Deutsch, Englisch und Französisch, wie konkret welche Abgeordnete per E-Mail und Telefon kontaktiert werden sollten. Die Hinweise reichen bis hin zu detaillierten Gesprächsvorgaben für Anrufe. Ziel ist es den Parlamentariern nahe zu legen, gegen die Änderungsanträge zu votieren. (Stefan Krempl)

http://www.heise.de/newsticker/Europaweite-Kampagne-gegen-Ueberwachungsp...

Yes, everybody’s trying to punish the “bloody” pirates, who don’t give a damn about copyright policies and do their best to share information with other Internet consumers.

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In an article published today in “Le Monde”, they say that the government is now trying to find the best solutions to domesticate those people so fond of “téléchargement illicite”. But their strategy is a more pedagogical one.

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I’m pretty curious what the final law against illegal downloads will look like in France. Anyway, it’s funny to see how they all try to find the aproppriate solutions for fighting against one of the most “natural” consequences of Internet consumption. Thank God in Romania we’re some good years behind as far as copyright laws are concerned.

http://www.copyleft.ro/2008/06/18/the-online-witch-hunt-continues-the-fr...

The EFF points us to new disturbing demands by the French version of the RIAA known as SNEP (Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique). Among the demands are a deadline for laws to be put in place that would disconnecting file-sharers from the internet and the ability to serve as police, judge and jury against French P2P users.

When it comes to making what many see as far fetched claims about copyright, many think of copyright industry bodies inside the United States. Recently though, it seems as though there are dramatic claims and demands coming out of the French copyright industry recently.

The EFF recently pointed to a posting made by La Quadrature Du Net (Squaring the Net) which shows, among other things, a leaked copy of the proposed French law.

http://www.zeropaid.com/news/9477/French+RIAA+Announces+Deadline+to+Ban+...

Six months on from the original Olivennes report, with growing objections across Europe, collapsing support for Sarkozy's administration at home, and still no "three strikes" law on any statute books, the entertainment industry is getting a little antsy. Last week, the French RIAA, le Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique (SNEP), announced a deadline to Sarkozy's ministers. Hervé Rony, SNEP spokesman, said "it would not be acceptable" for the three strikes law to miss the French Parliament's Summer schedule.

It looks like SNEP's demands are not going to be met. Before the "Loi Olivennes" can even reach parliament, it has to be examined by the French Counseil d'Etat, the senior jurists that advise the French executive and acts as France's supreme court.

They are not rushing their analysis. Just why might be gleaned from the leaked copy of the law sent to them for consideration (provided by Squaring the Net in French). Even after being moderated from earlier drafts, the document still describes a stunning shift in judicial and enforcement, both offline and on.

After explaining exactly why drastic measures are necessary (to "prevent the hemorrhaging of cultural works on the Internet") 1 the document outlines a powerful new government body, the High Authority for the Distribution of Works and the Protection of Rights on the Internet (La Haute Autorité pour la diffusion des œuvres et la protection des droits sur Internet, or HADOPI).

http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2008/05/struggles-frances-three-strikes-law

A recently published and adopted report from the EU Parliament throws a long-awaited crumb of comfort to the beleaguered European ISP community, braced for legal assault over issues of electronic content copyright.

So what? you may ask.

Well, according to an expert an the specialised area that is European politics, this amendment could be significant and might spike the guns of the pro-copyright “flog ‘em and hang ‘em’ brigade (now led by French President, Nicholas Sarkozy).

Under the French proposals, for instance, ISPs would be forced to adopt an active policing policy on behalf of the content industries. This would include network filtering, cutting off P2P traffic flows that contained ‘pirated’ material, in addition to taking down material flagged up by copyright owners. It would also mandate ISPs to disconnect customers who offended one times too many (’three strikes and you’re out’).

The Bono Report amendment goes the other way and sets out the parliament’s attitude to the Internet and its little ways: it confirms what a great thing the Internet is in its role of connecting people, promoting innovation etc.