Infinite Path

The controversial Digital Economy Bill was approved by MPs on Wednesday evening as they secured a majority of 142 in favour. It will now pass to the House of Lords for final approval.

The Bill is another example of Parliament riding roughshod over the opinions of the electorate, with 20, 864 people voicing their opposition to the proposals by emailing their MPs. Adverts were bought in the Guardian and the Times by the Open Rights Group and 38 Degrees, urging more debate with the main fear being that the law was fast-tracked ahead of the General Election.

However, trade union-led Creative Coalition Campaign (CCC) also ran adverts in the Guardian, calling on MPs to pass the law to ensure copyright was protected, whilst the government has stated that the bill has already been debated several times in the past.

Some MPs have voiced their support for more debate, with Labour MP Kate Hoey accusing the political parties of colluding together in a “stitch-up”. Meanwhile, former minister Tom Watson claimed it would be a “catastrophic disaster” if the bill went through without further debate.

The bill relates to illegal filesharing online and is aimed at protecting the copyright holders in the music and film industries. The reality is that it is yet another erosion of civil liberties, with copyright holders able to apply for a court injunction in order to get names of illegal downloaders who they could then prosecute. Equally, ISPs will now be obliged to send letters to offenders, with the threat of cutting their Internet access altogether if they fail to stop their activity. They would also have the power to slow down the connections of repeat offenders.

The most alarming aspect of the new legislation is that Ofcom will be given permission to block websites. This worrying attack on freedom has concerned civil liberty campaigners. Critics include ISPs, who state that it is more difficult to catch pirates than it first appears because they could share a web connection or use a public computer. The opposition advert states that “it could mean millions of homes, schools and libraries are threatened with internet disconnection and tribunals” and that “it could also spell the end of free, open wireless internet in the UK”.

MPs are hoping the bill passes in the frenetic “wash-up” period ahead of the dissolution of Parliament next Monday. However, there will be a public consultation period in the next Parliament, which will also be able to scrutinise and adapt the more contentious aspects of the bill.

In the world of politicking before a General Election, it is difficult to know who to believe and the full implications of the law will not be known until the result is known on May 7. The Tories and Lib Dems have both called for debate, with the latter saying they would scrap the bill entirely in its current form if they are elected, but time will tell whether that debate is granted after the election has been settled.