Digital Rights: WTF?

I was going to write about something else for my final post on here, all about the US media and the political agendas which drive it, and how good things like the (now passed) Universal Healthcare bill were being opposed for all the wrong reasons, due in part to the irresponsible, fear-mongering yellow journalism of a certain (won't say who) American news network. But, you don't need me to tell you that Fox News is merely the PR wing of the American Republican party, that much is very evident.

What I am going to talk about is Digital Rights, a much more relevant topic considering the medium. For those who spend a lot of time online (me), one of the major points of contention for young voters in the upcoming English General Election is the proposed Digital Rights Bill. A little background: The Bill, known as the Digital Economy Act 2010, is quite similar to the famous Digital Millennium Copyright Act in the United States, which basically attempts to deal with the problem of illegal downloading and copyright infringement in the UK. And that's fair enough.

But reaction to the bill has been mixed, (to say the least) especially from those who are going to have their broadband disconnected. This is the unorthodox approach which is being taken to deal with copyright infringement, according to this bill. Using a graduated response system (3 strike style), those found to be repeatedly committing copyright infringement will have their internet access disconnected from their particular Internet Service Provider. This would actively require ISP's to basically spy on their customers activities (Right to privacy? It's been nice knowin' ya). And to my utter horror, the Times reported Friday that this same approach is being discussed for adoption here in Ireland.

Now, I don't have a problem with tackling copyright infringement. As journalists, what we create is our own intellectual property, and those are our assets. So there should be protection there for copyright infringement. But frankly, taking this kind of approach, in 2010? It might as well be Orwell's 1984. ISP's spying on your internet activities to make sure you don't misbehave? Sorry, but I'm 21 years old, and I'm a responsible adult. Stop treating me like a child. There's nothing that boils my blood more than a nanny state.

Now don't get me wrong here, I know I sound like I'm against tackling copyright infringement, but I'm not. I'm just against the way in which it is being handled. Having your Civil Liberties violated(God I sound so American, better go have a pint!), and your right to privacy pulled out from under you by your own Government at the behest of a series of multi-national corporations is not the right way to do things! And make no mistake, all that is driving this wave of hysteria are the multinationals who own the record companies which are losing money due to illegal downloading. The Government don't care if Sony or the IRMA are losing money because of copyright infringement, they're still making enough to pay their taxes to the State. But they are faced with increased pressure from the IRMA (Irish Recorded Music Association) to deal with the problem, otherwise the big boys pack up their toys and go home. And for a nation like Ireland, so dependent upon foreign investment, but which is a veritable wellspring of creative talent, record companies bring in a lot of moolah for Johnny Dáil.

The last word on this situation is that there needs to be a different approach taken to dealing with the problem. It seems that the English and Irish Governments are taking the wrong cue from the RIAA and attempting to deal with copyright infringement by individual cases. Not only is this an enormous waste of resources, it also brings up the privacy and consumer rights of the individual as mentioned earlier. As I said I'm all for Digital Rights, just not at the expense of my own.

CT