Open Rights Group wants in on DEA talks
An open letter to Ed Vaizey asks for rights organisations and consumer groups to be included in Digital Economy Act discussions.
The Open Rights Group (ORG) has written to communications minister Ed Vaizey asking to be included in discussions about the Digital Economy Act (DEA).
The culture secretary, Jeremy Hunt, has been leading talks with internet service providers (ISPs) focused on how to deal with illegal files sharers.
Controversial clauses brought in by the DEA in April 2010 could see those found guilty of file sharing having their internet connections cut off something the ORG has strongly opposed.
Now its executive director, Jim Killock, has asked for his organisation, fellow rights group Liberty and customer watchdog Consumer Focus, to be included in the DEA meetings.
"These issues raise very serious problems relating to freedom of expression, access to knowledge and privacy. But it is likely that these issues will not be given sufficient weight should discussions feature only rights holders and ISPs," Killock wrote in the letter.
"To include only these voices means there is a real risk that the flaws of the Digital Economy Act will be repeated."
IT PRO contacted the department for media, culture and sport for a reaction to the letter but it had not responded to the request at the time of publication.
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The next meeting between Hunt and the ISPs including representatives from TalkTalk and Virgin Media is due in three months' time.
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