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ISPs Being Pressured To Become Piracy Cops
IFPI proposes filters; website & protocol blockades...

The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is pressuring European lawmakers to create the piracy equivalent of the great Chinese firewall. In a letter (pdf) to lawmakers, the group urges them to force ISPs to employ content filters, block certain protocols, and eliminate access to certain websites in "rogue jurisdictions" like the Pirate Bay. According to the group, none of these options are "overly burdensome or expensive, or causes problems for regular services to the ISP's customers."

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The EFF, as you might imagine, is calling that poppycock (pdf), arguing that such filters stifle innovation, and the cost of implementing them would be carried by the consumer. They also suggest that the filters likely wouldn't work anyway, as users would simply encrypt their traffic:
quote:
Introducing filtering technology at ISP facilities would simply cause infringing Net users to encrypt their communications in the same way, eliminating any chance that these filters could successfully target these transfers. Such encrypted content cannot be examined or blocked by third parties such as ISPs; if it could, the financial institutions would be equally at risk.
The RIAA, MPAA and companies such as NBC are engaged in a similar quest here in the States, and have been also urging lawmakers to force ISPs (and in some case residential hardware vendors) to implement piracy filters.

Most recommended from 56 comments



dadkins
Can you do Blu?
MVM
join:2003-09-26
Hercules, CA

2 recommendations

dadkins

MVM

China anyone?

Uhm... BULLSHIT!
If I want to search for Latex Porn, regardless of the source, I should be able to.

Who is going to be the Judge and Jury of what I can do with my internet connection?
Who's values are going to be used as a guideline?

What about when this horse manure starts blocking LEGIT sites/sources?
Nothing is infallible.