UK File-Sharing Laws Unenforceable On Mobile Networks

superglaze writes "UK mobile broadband providers currently have no way of telling which subscribers are file-sharing which copyrighted content, ZDNet UK reports. This represents something of a problem for new laws that have been proposed to crack down on unlawful file-sharing. According to the article, databases (tracking IP address mappings) could be built to make it possible to identify what specific users are downloading, but the industry is loathe to fund this sort of project itself. Also, as an analyst points out in the piece, users of prepaid phone cards are mostly anonymous in the UK, which creates another challenge for the government's plans. And if that isn't enough, connection-sharing apps like JoikuBoost would make identification pretty much impossible anyway."

Wow

[taucross]

They have no way of telling which subscribers are file sharing on any network - ask your local laser printer. I guess they'll just have to make do...

Of Course...

[fuzzyfuzzyfungus]

Anybody who plans on running bittorrent over a prepaid mobile connection is either going to pirate very small files, or end up paying rather more than retail for them...

Or it would go the other way

[plover]

Sharing your connection using Joiku with a file-sharing felon might tar you with the same brush. 3 strikes and you're all out.

Due process? We flushed that crap down the toilet years ago.

Re:Or it would go the other way

[denis-The-menace]

All bow to the outdated business model that is the music business of the 50-90s.

Profits from this *MUST* be protected at the cost of freedom, privacy and progress. /sarcasm (in case of "whoosh")

Amazing what bribes from robber barons can do to otherwise respectable politicians.

Re:Bill the record industry

[BSAtHome]

So, you are willing to give them investigatory powers. Time to make encryption mandatory then.

Ban anonymous prepaid

[nurb432]

And require all devices to be registered, with clients shimmed into your ip stack being required to access anything online. This is where it will end up. Everyone will be running something like the old netzero client .. ack.

Remember only terrorists and pirates want to be anonymous... You have nothing to hide.. do you ?

Re:Or it would go the other way

[PitaBred]

Otherwise respectable? Wasn't the guy who pushed this shit through removed from two elected positions for corruption, and now only holds an appointed position?

Re:Of Course...

[commodore64_love]

Back in the 1980s people used to charge their long-distance calls for downloading pirated games to other people's calling cards. Perhaps something similar is being done with downloading over cellular dialup/phones?

Re:Bill the record industry

[BSAtHome]

But then, who will be next in line with a big pocket to pay for data and ask the gov for policing some communication. Remember Phorm? Do we /want/ a society where your communication is eavesdropped? That is a trademark of oppressive regimes. It really does not matter whether the ISP is the middleman. No data should be intercepted unless a court-order is provided.

Re:Telling users how to get away with piracy?

[mdwh2]

Citation where GPL authors have behaved in a manner like the OP talked about, please?

And even if we did return to 14 years for copyright, including for GPL, I don't see why that's a problem. Yeah, it means that someone will be able to use and modify a 1995 Linux without distributing the source - OMG!

Re:What about the isp?

[santax]

In the Netherlands (for now) it's legal to copy music to your cd's (due to levy indeed), it is also still legal to download music/movies from the internet. We can't share it online. But it is legal to borrow a cd to a friend for him to copy on a blanc cd. But after they (music-mafia) have reaped the millions and millions of euro's for many years in a time no-one uses blanc cd's for music anymore they wanted to change the rules. And they did. Lol. There is only 1 explanation for this. The lobby is paying the politicians well. It's just insane that we pay for airwaves. Before we know it we'll be paying for the right the breath that same air. I am sorry. I am upset about all these things they are trying to make illegal. It's like they want us all to be criminals. If we aren't criminals they will pass a law that will turn us into one. According to the law. It's just insane. I have no way how I can explain all of this to my kids without them looking at me and saying... but dad, I thought we won the war against the Germans. (my 9 y.o. actually said that)