Talk Talk slams file-sharing plans at Westminster

Talk Talk and other organisations have criticised the proposed measures outlined in the Digital Economy Bill to combat illegal file sharing as unfair.

At a Westminster briefing hosted by the ISP Talk Talk and backed by consumer organisations, MPs and peers heard how alternatives to the the 'three strikes' proposals in the Bill needed to be found.

Charles Dunstone, chief executive of Carphone Warehouse said the proposals made the accused 'guilty until proven innocent' and reiterated the ISP's challenge to take the Government to court if need be.

He said legislation covering copyright theft was already in place and what is now being proposed substitutes proper judicial process.

“There is no need for kangaroo courts,” he said.

Consumer organisation Which? said it was not against protection for copyright holders. But it fel the penalties were "draconian" instead of "proportionate" and is calling for the steps for any appeals process to be clearly defined.

The Digital Economy Bill proposes a step-by-step solution to illegal file sharing. Initially, those accused will receive warning letters from their ISP. If these warnings are not heeded they could face having their internet service suspended temporarily.

Which? and Consumer Focus are particularly concerned about the detection methods that will be used. It is proposed to track users by IP addresses. But internet experts have repeatedly said that this method is unsafe.

They say IP addresses can be spoofed or hijacked. Alex Hanff of Privacy International also said ISPs often do not keep full records of which customer was using an IP address at a particular time.

There also seems to be little monitoring of the methods used by the companies hired by rights holders to check for illegal downloaders.

The Digital Economy Bill is still going through the House of Lords, but expected to reach the Commons by late February.