Government Does a Re-Think on the Digital Rights Bill
Ministers in the government have reacted to critics who have dubbed the Digital Rights Bill, ‘draconian’ in outlook and agreed to make some revisions.
The bill intended to curb illegal downloads and file-sharing, thereby giving copyright holders greater protection, but consumer rights groups and major internet players such as Google and Facebook have reacted adversely to the proposals.
Besides expressing concerns over the plans to cut off the connections of those persisting in illegally downloading and sharing files, critics are dismayed over the intended powers to be vested in ministers to amend the existing laws governing online piracy without obtaining parliamentary approval, vide Clause 17 of the Digital Rights Bill. They say that the clause is ‘disproportionate’ and could cause damage to the fast growing digital economy. Both Conservative and Liberal Democrats are also considering voting the bill when it comes up for approval.
In order to alleviate these concerns, government officials are doing a ‘rethink’ and planning to modify the bill. The Department for Business claims that it is not shying away from the proposals but only trying to clarify the extent to which the clause will be applicable and make the process of implementing the bill more transparent. However, another spokesperson gave a categorical assurance that the Government stood squarely behind clause 17 of the bill, and had no intentions of scrapping it.
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