France wants to block pirates' access to the net
On Tuesday, the French National Assembly passed the anti-piracy law. Under the new legislation, users who illegally download content from the Internet can be blocked from accessing the web for up to twelve months.
On Tuesday, the French National Assembly passed the anti-piracy law. The law was initiated under President Nicolas Sarkozy against illegal piracy on the Internet and was rejected just a few weeks ago, according to Pressetext.ch. Now approved by MPs by 296 votes to 233, the new legal provision allows users who illegally download content from the internet to be blocked from the web for up to twelve months after the third offense.
However, the new law is highly controversial. Socialist MP Patrick Bloche told BBC News that the new law was dangerous, useless, inefficient and very risky. For example, the possibility of computer hackers misusing users' identities and thus punishing the wrong people cannot be ruled out. In addition to technical problems for implementation, the law also raises legal questions. According to Blick.ch, the opposition Socialists, consumer advocates and the EU Parliament see the implementation of the new legal provision as an attack on civil liberties.
However, the new law is highly controversial. Socialist MP Patrick Bloche told BBC News that the new law was dangerous, useless, inefficient and very risky. For example, the possibility of computer hackers misusing users' identities and thus punishing the wrong people cannot be ruled out. In addition to technical problems for implementation, the law also raises legal questions. According to Blick.ch, the opposition Socialists, consumer advocates and the EU Parliament see the implementation of the new legal provision as an attack on civil liberties.
