Music and film industry tries to hijack serious crime legislation in Europe

by Suw on November 23, 2005

The impudence of the music and film industries never ceases to amaze me. First they make crap products no one wants to buy. Then they sue their own customers because they aren't buying said crap products. Then they follow that up with DRM that kills your computer. And now they are trying to hijack proposed data retention legislation originally tabled to fight 'terrorism and organised crime', saying that it's essential that all your telecomms and web browsing data be made available to them so that they can sue your arses off with it.
Yes, that's right. The music and film industries think that there are far, far more dangerous things in this world than terrorists and organised crime. Oh yes. You nasty little file sharers and DRM breakers are going to bring down civilisation and you must be stopped! Stopped, I say!
And, of course, there's some more new legislation, going by the acronym IPRED2 which makes this all much, much easier for the industry as it criminalises copyright infringement. So, with Data Retention forcing ISPs to store all the information they can about your web habits, and IPRED2 mandating that the police must work with rightsholders to investigate alleged infringement, the music industry can now get investigation and prosecution done at the taxpayer's expense, instead of having to pay out lots of money to go through that pesky civil system.
You weren't really using your civil liberties and human rights, were you?
Come 13th December, the European Parliament are voting on Data Retention. And if they get suckered into voting yes, we're all buggered. It's not often that European legislation truly does affect all 457 million Europeans, but this time round, they mean business. 457 million people's mobile phone usage, including who you call, where you were when you called, and how long your call lasted, will be logged. 457 million people's internet usage will be logged, including your VoIP call details, your email and the website you visit. And there won't be bugger all you can do about it.
So, don't delay, Email Your MEP today, and tell them that you don't like Data Retention, and you certainly don't like the way it's being pushed through the European Parliament so quickly, and could they please brush up on the meaning of the word 'democracy'. I urge you to be polite, be informed (that's easy – read the two links at the top of this post), and be brief, and I urge you to email your MEP now.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: