Talktalk calls Bono's file-sharing remarks 'outrageous'

Talktalk has hit back at “outrageous” comments made by rock singer Bono who said internet service providers (ISPs) were profiting from illegal file sharing at the expense of the music industry.

Talktalk's Andrew Heaney called the singer “seriously misguided”, explaining that ISPs incurred additional costs because of the extra bandwidth needed.

The ISP's executive director of strategy and regulation was responding to an article in The New York Times in which Bono called ISPs “reverse Robin Hoods” and said it was “perfectly possible to track content”. Heaney said Bono obviously did not understand how simple it is to access copyright protected content without being detected.

“P2P (peer-to-peer) file sharing can be spotted (albeit at great cost) but there are dozens of applications and tools out there that allow people to view content free and no amount of snooping can detect it,” said Heaney.

He also said it was “outrageous" that Bono had equated the need to protect minors from the evils of child pornography with the need to protect copyright owners.

“As a society we have accepted that it is appropriate and proportionate to intrude on people's internet use by blocking access to sites that host child abuse images.

"To suggest that sharing a music file is every bit as evil as child abuse beggars belief,” he said.

He went on to point out that under the Digital Economy Bill as it is currently framed, it will become legal to summarily disconnect someone for alleged copyright abuse.

But the ISP, which has launched a campaign, Don’t Disconnect Us, said conversely a court order would be needed to disconnect a person accessing child abuse images.

“Most people think that blocking access to sites that host child abuse images is a good thing… fewer than 10 per cent of us think that disconnecting alleged file sharers without a court hearing is a good idea."

He said the French have now abandoned plans to disconnect alleged illegal file sharers without a court order.

“This is a major victory for human rights campaigners and we trust Lord Mandelson will take note,” he said.