House of Lords passes Digital Economy Bill

The Digital Economy Bill has been passed by the House of Lords giving effective control to the House of Commons with regards to various controversial clauses within the bill. Many believe that the bill has been passed with indecent haste as we approach the next general election and many are mystified as to why the government seems so determined to push through this revolutionary and controversial bill.

There are a number of issues which are causing problems which include handing power to the courts to effectively close down websites which are deemed to host substantial copyrighted material, without a judicial review. There is also the threat to those who download copyrighted material which could see them barred from Internet access with no right of appeal. We could actually see the likes of YouTube and other similar media output websites closed down because of allegations regarding copyrighted material and this has angered Internet freedom campaigners.

The Internet is now an integral part of society and many believe that governments around the world are determined to rein in its power and attempt to control cyberspace. Whether these new laws will be effective remains to be seen but there is no doubt that the battle for control of the Internet is only just beginning and is certain to be a very messy affair.