Digital Act Could Spur Creation of Pirate ISPs In UK 204
scurtis writes "British anti-copyright group, Pirate Party UK, has predicted that Pirate ISPs will spring up across the country — promoting online privacy and allowing users to share files anonymously — in response to draconian file-sharing proposals outlined in the Digital Economy Act. The news follows reports that the Pirate Party in Sweden (PiratPartiet) will launch the world's first 'Pirate ISP.' The move is designed to curb the use of online surveillance in the country, and combat what PiratPartiet describes as the 'big brother society.'"
Am I naive to think it might get scrapped? (Score:5, Informative)
Hopefully public pressure (e.g. the ideas on the "Your Freedom" Government run website for suggesting laws to scrap: here [hmg.gov.uk] and here [hmg.gov.uk]) will cause the Digital Economy Act to be scrapped.
Aside from public pressure, there is also a possible review in the Lords [zdnet.co.uk] so there are a few chinks of light in the sky.
Re:More harm than good? (Score:3, Informative)
At the very least, the word "pirate" should be avoided because that is the MAFIAA's loaded word of choice for painting file sharers as dangerous criminals
Whilst I agree with the substance of your comment, that "pirate" is an inappropriate descriptor, used to gain emotive advantage, the term has been used in this context for far longer than just this round of the "copyright wars".
For a great history of the term "piracy", and on copyright infringement generally, I'd recommend Adrian Johns' excellent book, "Piracy". For a look at the use of emotive language in the "copyright wars", I'd recommend Bill Party's "Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars".
Re:Good Luck With That (Score:3, Informative)
Leader of Pirate Party UK reveals that he wasn't actually trying to get publicity, he was just answering a journalist's question about the possibility of the UK party following the Swedish party's lead and setting up their own ISP. Out of all the countless quotes he's given to journalists over the last year, he's actually quite surprised that this one made it to the front page of Slashdot.
Re:Why Pirate? (Score:3, Informative)
but the word 'pirate' has been strongly associated with lawbreaking
That's not exactly a new thing in politics. Snipped from Wikipedia:
Tories: The word derives from the Middle Irish word tóraidhe; modern Irish tóraí: outlaw, robber, from the Irish word tóir, meaning "pursuit", since outlaws were "pursued men".[1][2] It was originally used to refer to an Irish outlaw and later applied to Confederates or Royalists in arms.[3] The term was thus originally a term of abuse, "an Irish rebel", before being adopted as a political label in the same way as Whig.
And they're hardly rare either...