Today the new Ipred law will go into action. It was initially a directive from the European Union made in 2004, now interpreted and transformed into a Swedish law.

The short version is that the movie companies can now force operators to give away customer information, if some sort of evidence of criminal activity can be produced. Thanks to the torrent technique, a large part of European citizens are suddenly guilty of such an act. If I recall correctly there was a similar issue when the video recorder was introduced, when the first mp3 portable player arrived and so on. Some artists have adapted to the new technology, Nine Inch Nails being a prime example.

Naturally there are several things to consider. What if somebody sits at a coffee shop with free wi-fi and happens to download something? It’s the owner of the wi-fi that gets attention, not the actual downloader. Same thing applies to all people with open networks at home. Your neighbor might earn you a hefty fine right this minute. Open networks, beware.

And this is just the beginning. Something called Ipred 2 is stirring at the horizon, as well as the trade decree Acta. It concerns outlawing anonymizing services and removing the court prerogative to open up for total mayhem. I really wish it was just a tasteless April’s fool joke, but unfortunately it is the bitter truth. A brave new world.

2 comments

  • avatar
    theresa
    06 Apr, 2009

    good entry. agreeing on all points.

  • avatar
    08 Apr, 2009

    Thanks! Glad to hear that.

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