Will the Digital Economy Bill cost UK households?
As the Digital Economy Bill has finally been pushed through parliament, albeit under a very different guise to the one initially suggested, there are concerns that many homes around the UK could soon be the target of law firms looking to stamp out illegal file sharing. We have seen a number of issues where "innocent" Internet users have seen their Wi-Fi connections hijacked by third parties who have downloaded illegal material and infringed copyrights.
Ultimately it is the owner of the Internet connection who is responsible for any activity on their Internet connection. It is therefore vital that Internet users around the UK look to secure their Wi-Fi connections as soon as possible to block unauthorised access which could result in fines of hundreds or even thousands of pounds. Unless you can actually prove you were not around when the illegal downloads happened you could find yourself blackballed from the Internet and receiving a hefty fine and possible court case.
Much has been made of illegal downloading and copyright infringement on the Internet and it seems that UK households are now an easy target for law firms around the world. Even though the powers initially suggested in the draft Digital Economy Bill have been watered down, courts now have the power to block Internet access without the level of evidence you would require in a legal case.
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