Clegg: Digital Economy Bill was a 'Stitch-up'

Clegg claims the way the bill was rushed through without proper debate is a "classic example of what's wrong with Westminster".

"It was rammed through after the election was called in the last dying days of the Parliament in something called a 'wash-up'," said Clegg. "It wasn't a wash-up, it was a stitch-up. A stitch-up between Labour and Conservative MPs who decided that you didn't deserve to have your representatives in Parliament properly looking at a bill which might have a very, very serious impact on the way that you use the internet."

"That's why we said it should have been scrutinised properly, it shouldn't have been rushed through in that way in the first place, at all".'

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Digital Economy Act: This Means War

'With the rushed passage into law of the Digital Economy Act this month, the fight over copyright enters a new phase. Previous to this, most copyfighters operated under the rubric that a negotiated peace was possible between the thrashing entertainment giants and civil society.

But now that the BPI and its mates have won themselves the finest law that money can buy – a law that establishes an unprecedented realm of web censorship in Britain, a law that provides for the disconnection of entire families from the net on the say-so of an entertainment giant, a law that shuts down free Wi-Fi hotspots and makes it harder than ever to conduct your normal business on the grounds that you might be damaging theirs – the game has changed.'

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Leading UK ISP Says It Will Defy Government’s Net Censorship Bill

A leading internet service provider in the UK has declared that it will refuse to follow government orders to restrict, slow down or cut off its customers’ internet access under rules set out in Lord Mandelson’s (pictured) Digital Economy Bill.

The provider, TalkTalk, which has over 4 million internet users, has declared the legislation “draconian” and says it will not cooperate with its provisions.

Andrew Heaney, TalkTalk’s director of strategy and regulation has said the company will repel any instructions to disconnect customers unless instructed to by the courts.'

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Death Of The Internet: Unprecedented Censorship Bill Passes in UK

A draconian Internet censorship bill that has been long looming on the horizon finally passed the house of commons in the UK yesterday, legislating for government powers to restrict and filter any website that is deemed to be undesirable for public consumption.

The “Digital Economy Bill” was rushed through parliament in a late night session last night after a third reading.

In the wake of the announcement of a general election on May 6, the government has taken advantage of what is known as the “wash-up process”, allowing the legislative process to be speeded up between an election being called and Parliament being dissolved.

Only a pitiful handful of MPs (pictured above) were present to debate the bill, which was fully supported by the “opposition” Conservative party, and passed by 189 votes to 47 keeping the majority of its original clauses intact.'

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Don’t Let Mandelson Disconnect Your Internet

Copyright infringement through filesharing is illegal and the Government is right to tackle the issue.

But the proposals to deter illegal filesharing announced by Lord Mandelson in September are wrong in principle and won’t work in practice.

Don’t Disconnect Us is a campaign group initiated by TalkTalk which is opposed to the measures proposed by Lord Mandelson.

Here you can find out why we’re so worried, hear what others who share our view say, register your support for our campaign (or tell us why we’re wrong) and contribute to the debate.'

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BT Boss Condemns Government Piracy Measures

BT chief executive Ian Livingstone has joined a group of industry executives and high profile figures – from organisations including Orange, Virgin Media, Google and the Open Rights Group – in writing an open letter to the Financial Times, urging that changes be made to the Digital Economy Bill.

The letter criticises the most recent amendment to the Bill – Amendment 120A – which would enable courts to issue an injunction against any website accused of hosting a “substantial proportion” of material that infringes copyright. This could ultimately result in sites such as YouTube being forced offline.

“This amendment not only significantly changes the injunctions procedure in the UK but will lead to an increase in Internet service providers blocking websites accused of illegally hosting copyrighted material without cases even reaching a judge,” the letter warned. “The amendment seeks to address the legitimate concerns of rights-holders but would have unintended consequences that far outweigh any benefits it could bring".'

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UK to Kill Off Internet Cafes

The glorious British government, upon which the sun finally set almost 100 years ago, has decided that having open WiFi networks is bad for the general population and it wants them all shut off.

The move, which will kill off using your laptop in an Internet cafe or coffee shop without getting a password from the owner, is part of the Digital Economy Bill.

The government has issued a clarification of the Bill which will mean that many organisations will be open to the same penalties for copyright infringement as individual subscribers, potentially including disconnection from the Internet.

Some legal experts say it will become impossible for small businesses to offer WiFi access to their customers.'

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