plasmacutter writes:
Cory Doctorow is spreading the word about a disturbing but not unexpected development in Britain
Parents whose children download music and films illegally will be blacklisted and have their internet access curbed under government reforms to fight online piracy.
Households that ignore warnings will be subjected to online surveillance and their internet speeds will be reduced, making it very difficult for them to download large files.
The measures, the first of their kind in the world, will be announced today by Baroness Vadera, who brokered the deal between internet service providers and Ofcom, the telecoms body.
They claim this is a "moderation" of their proposal to disconnect users, but I doubt anyone would call the reduction of their lines to 56k dialup speeds "internet connectivity" anymore than someone would call a car lacking the horsepower necessary to carry large loads of groceries home "transportation".
Maybe they should put spy cameras inside their homes too, surely they're ripping and burning their friends' CDs as well if they're engaging in such "deviant" everyday activity on the internet.