The Government has responded to critics of its proposed new policy to deal with illegal filesharing.
In a blog post the Digital Britain team responded to a selection of criticisms in an attempt to justify the new proposals, announced by Peter Mandelson on Tuesday.
An executive director of internet service provider (ISP) Talk Talk, Andrew Heaney, said this week that he was "dismayed" by the policy, which he felt would be near impossible to enforce. He added his company planned to "strongly resist" its implementation.
The post admitted that enforcement would be tough, with innocent people possibly getting caught in the cross fire, but a tribunal system to appeal would also be brought in as part of the policy.
The Government was also accused of criminalising an entire generation who regularly fileshare, but it responded by saying it was just highlighting the unlawful act.
The post said: "Getting copyrighted material without permission or payment is already unlawful (it is a civil offence). Recognising that fact and enforcing existing rights is not criminalisation."
Other issues confronted in the report included Mandelson's alleged discussions with music industry heavyweight David Geffen it was denied that the two discussed Digital Britain issues and a move away from the original Digital Britain report.
However, the Digital Britain team denied they were leaving behind the initial guidelines of the report, but rather adding to them through consultation.
-
Should AI PCs be part of your next hardware refresh?AI PCs are fast becoming a business staple and a surefire way to future-proof your business
-
Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI launch brace of new channel initiativesNews Westcon-Comstor and Vectra AI have announced the launch of two new channel growth initiatives focused on the managed security service provider (MSSP) space and AWS Marketplace.
-
Starmer bets big on AI to unlock public sector savingsNews AI adoption could be a major boon for the UK and save taxpayers billions, according to prime minister Keir Starmer.
-
UK government targets ‘startup’ mindset in AI funding overhaulNews Public sector AI funding will be overhauled in the UK in a bid to simplify processes and push more projects into development.
-
UK government signs up Anthropic to improve public servicesNews The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to explore how the company's Claude AI assistant could be used to improve access to public services.
-
The UK’s AI ambitions face one major hurdle – finding enough home-grown talentNews Research shows UK enterprises are struggling to fill AI roles, raising concerns over the country's ability to meet expectations in the global AI race.
-
US government urged to overhaul outdated technologyNews A review from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found legacy technology and outdated IT systems are negatively impacting efficiency.
-
Government urged to improve tech procurement practicesNews The National Audit Office highlighted wasted money and a lack of progress on major digital transformation programmes
-
Government says new data bill will free up millions of hours of public sector timeNews The UK government is proposing new data laws it says could free up millions of hours of police and NHS time every year and boost the UK economy by £10 billion.
-
Online Safety Act slammed by rights groups as bill gains royal assentNews The Online Safety Act has been described as a veiled attempt to secure access to encrypted messages
