Illegal sharing is not killing music but scary letters might
The threatening letter on the doormat about licence fee non-payment might soon be joined by another from your local internet service provider. At least it will if you have been virally spreading Coldplay without permission. Bereft, perhaps, of enough incidents of dangerous dogs to merit new legislation, the government is attempting to cut illegal downloading activity by up to 80%. In an initiative involving the record industry trade body, the BPI, the film industry and the government, a memorandum of understanding has been drawn up that will potentially see the half-dozen largest internet service providers in the UK sending out around 1,000 letters a week as a warning to those who use their bandwidth to illegally download, or worse, upload and share music and films.
The move echoes 80s campaigns that tried to persuade students buying bootleg tapes in Camden that their £2.99 would immediately go into the pockets of the IRA or the National Front. But, as the warnings are of a less altruistic and more personal nature - carry on doing this and we will cut off your broadband - the effects might be more immediate and long-lasting. While nobody should endorse illegal file-sharing, the issue of monitoring internet use is controversial. It reminds people there is an ability to monitor and store data about individuals at the most granular and unwelcome level. Obviously, this happens all the time, but the increasingly public reminders raise some very uncomfortable questions about personal freedom versus commercial compliance in the future.
