Thank goodness that cooler heads have prevailed and the Digital Economy Act will now receive a judicial review.
The Act was rushed through Parliament in the 'wash up' period ahead of the General Election and was intended to shore up our digital operations and help clamp down on activities such as illegal filesharing and thereby ready the nation for a more robust and secure future in this field.
However, the bill was horrendously skewed towards corporate demands and placed the rights of the individual web user right at the back of the queue. Indeed, it came to light that the bill's 'three strikes' policy was written using text provided by the BPI (British Recorded Music Industry) the trade body of the record labels - i.e. those who stood to benefit most from a powerful, industry-focused bill.
Mercifully, the collective efforts of organisations such as the Open Rights Group and isp companies such as Talk Talk and BT have persuaded the courts that a review is necessary. Hopefully a more balanced approach can now be implemented.
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