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The Australian government, already controversially pursuing a national filter scheme that would rival the best censorship programs the authoritarian world has to offer, is set to deputize ISPs to be become copyright cops, to give them the power to spy on their customer's usage habits for the benefit of copyright holders.
The government says it's not as insidious as all that, but then again, they said the same thing about the Internet censorship program which aims to block all content deemed unsuitable by the government.
Electronic Frontier Australia says that the law will be so broad, that it will make the unconstitutional French 3-strikes system or even the US DMCA, seem like reasonable and restrained legislations. EFA says there is nothing that will then stop ISPs to share customer data with copyright holders.
The consultation period for the proposal has been deliberately cut short to prevent public feedback it seems, and it's not that far fetched to suggest the MPAA, through it's Australia representatives the AFACT (currently suing Australia's third largest ISP, iiNet), might be behind this. The proposal will be debated in parliament in December.
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The government says it's not as insidious as all that, but then again, they said the same thing about the Internet censorship program which aims to block all content deemed unsuitable by the government.
Electronic Frontier Australia says that the law will be so broad, that it will make the unconstitutional French 3-strikes system or even the US DMCA, seem like reasonable and restrained legislations. EFA says there is nothing that will then stop ISPs to share customer data with copyright holders.
The consultation period for the proposal has been deliberately cut short to prevent public feedback it seems, and it's not that far fetched to suggest the MPAA, through it's Australia representatives the AFACT (currently suing Australia's third largest ISP, iiNet), might be behind this. The proposal will be debated in parliament in December.
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