It looks like much of the Digital Economy Bill will make it through to get Royal Assent by the end of the week.
The Bill is now in much better shape than when first tabled by the Government last year – the ability of the Government to impose disconnection at will has been checked and the Henry VIII clause that literally allowed the Government to do anything else to reduce copyright infringement has been removed.
However, many draconian proposals remain such as the responsibility on customers to protect their home networks from hacking at a collective cost of hundreds of millions of pounds a year, the presumption that they are guilty unless they can prove themselves innocent and, as in China, the potential for legitimate search engines and websites to be blocked.
This is made all the more appalling by the ability of big music and film companies to influence government and the absence of any proper debate or scrutiny by MPs – only 5% of MPs turned up for the brief debate yesterday and the other important Parliamentary stages will be bypassed in the wash-up process.
TalkTalk will continue to battle against these oppressive proposals – they will require ’secondary legislation’ before they can be implemented.
After the election we will resume highlighting the substantial dangers inherent in the proposals and that the hoped for benefits in legitimate sales will not materialise as filesharers will simply switch to other undetectable methods to get content for free.
In the meantime we stand by our pledges to our customers:
- Unless we are served with a court order we will never surrender a customer’s details to rightsholders. We are the only major ISP to have taken this stance and we will maintain it.
- If we are instructed to disconnect an account due to alleged copyright infringement we will refuse to do so and tell the rightsholders we’ll see them in court.
For more background on our campaign against the disconnection aspect of the Digital Economy Bill, please visit www.dontdisconnect.us You might also like to check out our tongue in cheek response Home Taping is Killing Music.
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kenneth
if the goverment are so worried about filesharing they should persue and prosicute the producer of the first retail tape to tape decks and direct VHS to VHS deck we all know who that is Sir **** *****
Len
Sorry Talk Talk, Whilst I admire your stance it’s time to wake up to reallity and realise that we now live in a type of dictatorship where it does not matter what the people want, we are going to get what the dictators tell us we can have, the other lot won’t be any better either, so don’t spend to much time,effort or money on trying to stop them, like all dictators they will walk all over you, Yes, I really do admire you, but until all of the people get together to stop this, you stand alone.
Sleepwalking towards a police state
Thank you Talk Talk for taking a stand. You are not my ISP at the moment but will be soon.
patty
good for you i wil be staying with talk talk for the forseable future
Risdonian
Looks & sounds like the New World Order in progress, I could be the first they would remove.
Stan
****BRAVO BRAVO BRAVO****
Its so great to know that there are people in power willing to fight against this mad corporate machine that has gone out of control.
There is a good reason why Talk Talk is a leading ISP in the UK today, its companies like this that will prosper whilst at the same time helping humanity push forward towards the coming digital era where all commerce, education and almost every aspect of life will revolve around the internet and information will be free for all.
The corporate machine crash is inevitably taking place and those in control are doing all they can to slow it down.
The coming days look like they are going to be a bumpy ride but there is light at the end of the tunnel.
This is quite the smart move for Talk Talk, not only are you doing the “Right thing” but informed internet users will switch ISPs, get ready for a surge in new customers, and a lot of free publicity in the media.
Remarkable is talked about amongst people.
Wishing you all the best and with the utmost respect on this bold move.
Michael
I just switched to Talk Talk from O2 because I saw in the media that Talk Talk would take a stance against giving up personal details, unlike O2 or BT have done.
However, the comment “Unless we are served with a court order” has now left me worried again!
The only way ANY ISP would give up your personal details is with a court order. BT, O2 and others only gave up their client details after they were issued with the “Norwich Pharmacal Order”. If BT, O2 and others were not issued with a court order then they would have broken the law which they supposedly did not.
So my question to Talk Talk is simple – how does Talk Talk’s stance differ from other ISP’s like BT?
My hope is that the stance Talk Talk (and all ISPs) should take is to fight against any court orders requesting its customers private details. This is because the court orders should never have been granted in the first place as no decent evidence was provided to the court. Which is why ISP’s need to fight the court order itself.
So far BT, O2 and others appear to have not fought against the court orders and hence this is why their customers private details were given up.
So what is Talk Talk’s exact stance on this matter?
Toscano
Dear Sir,
I’m now quiet some years member of the TalkTalk Group.
Apart from the realy got price – service balance and
free calls to Europe, it’s your position of keeping the
internet, what it should….free…, what makes me convinced
that i’m with the right Group! What will they deside next?
Don’t allow Skype? Shut the Internet-Radios? Basicly forbid
the news, because they are stolen from the papers? Or is it
only the fear, that info, they don’t like, still finds the
way to public over the net? It’s honorfull to stop the first
steps of treating people like sheeps. Well done! Sorry for
my pigeon-english
GD
Never had any problem with any part of TalkTalk and i for one are proud to be a customer and even more so now..this is what i call customer service..10/10 guys we back you all the way
Brandt Dainow
I’m no lawyer, but if my reading of the act is correct, the bill allows that an ISP create regulations about this – they can demand pre-registration of anyone who could ever want to complain. It also allows the ISP to charge them fees IN ADVANCE for possible complaint investigation – with no limit on the fees. It also allows the ISP to set the minimum number of copyright violations required before a complaint can be accepted, and violations prior to the limit cannot be investigated (there’s no option here – the act says they can’t be investigated), and the ISP can set their own minimum.
In other words – with the right policy in place, an ISP can forget this law.
Paul T
What it all boils down to is the fact the media industry thought the internet was just a fad and would die out, how wrong they were.
Now that they have lagged behind they want to play catch up by trying to buy the internet in the way of buying laws.
This is shocking that they think they can just buy the internet and so far have got what they want in france and the uk.
Acta, the secret treaty, is exactly there way of buying the internet.
This must not be allowed to happen at any cost!
John
Our Government is oppressing us continuously. We are watched, spied upon, monitored as never before; of course “it’s for our protection” – we are always told.
Realise how important a stance Talktalk have taken here. We must wake up to our loss of freedoms and civil liberties, in the false name of security.
Thank you talktalk, but as individuals, we must also stand up for our rights too.
George Grimm
some sort of controls on internet are required due to terrorists child pornography etc or do these things not matter any more why not work with government, providers etc to give a clean safe internet, I quit Talk Talk after being told that on merger with Tiscali that they would take over my land line as well as my broadband connection to stay the same with just broadband would cost £5.00 extra, I wont be blackmailed into things ,
ray palmer
Well done I am a customer and will be staying so, its about time somebody told the government that the people have had it with them.
Anton
Best days work I did joining Talk-Talk THANKS, Good Luck.
You will rein for ever. Saved me hundred`s of pounds.TA
THIS GOVERMENT DONT HAVE A CLUE. signed Libertarian.Lolls
eve
well done talk talk im glad u took over tiscali. was anxious but after reading blog and comments happy i did not switch to another isp.
Mister Blister
Surely the big man (Sir Charles Dunstone) has access to people like Lord Mandy and chums?! I imagine it’s not difficult for a knight to get a hold of a peer these days. Instead of posturing for the sake of poaching a few customers under the thin guise of ethics (which, let’s face it, cant exist in a profit-driven corporate environment), how about we see some actual action from the multi-millionaires at the top of the company?
I mean, I’m not running down the stance you have taken – I essentially agree, but liberty-minded people flocking to you as an ISP is the motivation and while the letter’s stance is admirable, it’s essentially to increase profit, market share and, of course, dividends for the shareholders.
Call me a cynic…
Keith Butcher
Have just rejoined and been upgraded to a brilliant pro service. Keep fighting these petty dictators you will have my support always
Doug
It is stands like this that make Talktalk the number one ISP. Have been a customer for many years now and have no intension of moving. Keep up teh good work
Phil
I don’t really have much to say except thank you! I am a cynic and I suspect that there’s as much marketing behind this as anything else but I still appreciate it nonetheless.
The government is supposed to be for the public not the corporations.
Wasim Sarwar
The digital economy bill is an absolute disgrace. Although I’m skeptical you will be able to maintain your stance, the fact that you have adopted such a stance is admirable and I for one will be switching to Talk Talk.
Gus
Thank you TalkTalk! Last time I checked you were not a subsidiary of Warner Bros. It is absurd to expect you to serve the interests of American big business over those of your own customers. I can only assume that there was some big money in play, otherwise this abomination would not have been so efficiently chivvied under the radar. One might expect that our MPs would be tired of third-parties poring over their personal information by now, following the farcical expenses ’scandal’. Perhaps they want to give us, the public, a taste of our own medicine.
anon-techy
You actions are brave and altruistic. Thank-you on behalf of humanity. The battle for internet freedom is perhaps the most important battle we have ever faced. The result of which will effect the very evolution of our society, our “system” and indeed our species. In the war for control of mankind’s conciousness the internet is our only hope, the only way we can restore and keep our freedom of thought. This day, you’re actions will be remembered forever.
Kevin
Congratulations, this is the right attitude!
I hope the government understands that they may do no such thing.
AnjaKJ
I admire your company for taking a stance against this draconian bill.
Pending clarification of your ‘fair use’ policy as far as ‘unlimited download allowance’ goes, I am considering switching when I move. Even if you don’t manage to maintain, it’s nice to know you at least tried to stand by your customers rather than fatcats with ageing ideas about artistic media.
Oliver Church
The actions which TalkTalk are taking are brave and admirable, as they are sticking by their paying customers. Well done.
Daniel
Recently joined this TalkTalk for this very reason. Well done….
linny
i left virgin and came to talk talk just because of this, respect where its due im happy to be a customer of talk talk
Heero Yuy
im glad talk talk are the new boss of tiscali…glad to be a customer for 5 years…
this government is becoming ridiculous…
Ice
Its great when big companies put their cusotmers first.. i do occasionally download stuff and if i like it i buy it usually on expensive formats like blu-ray.. the answer is cheaper formats, quicker access to movies etc say after a couple of months since cinema release or legal streaming where the copyright holders can gain revenue by advertising.. its stupid that we can “apparently” get in trouble for not securing our internet connection yet the big fat cat companies don’t get any fallout for not securing their media properly.. those big companies need to work with the internet and stop trying to lay all the blame on the “small people”.. alot of people use downloading as a “try before you buy” yes its illegal and we know the risks BUT could i take the copyright holders to court when i pay £6+ for a cinema ticket only to be bored out of my head by a half arsed attempt at a movie? and trust me, i have bought plenty of CD’s/DVD’s/blu-rays and cinema tickets only to be left with the feeling i have been totally ripped off.. and altho im sure talk talk dont agree with illegal downloads it is nice to know they do agree that peoples pricacy should be protected.. thanks talk talk.. ISP’s need to stick up for their customers and put pressure on copyright holders to make movies and music easier to access and cheaper
John Anderson
Im definately considering joining talktalk when my wurrent contract is up after reading this.
Just an afterthought tho,
If Guy Fawkes was alive today and looking for some help, I would be at front of the queue
He mabey had the right idea away back then….
Matt
I am going to use TalkTalk, and recommend it to all of my friends and family now. Thank you TalkTalk – for protecting our freedom and standing up to copyright trolls and Government dictators.
