The idea
The Digital Economy Act was brought into force as one of the last acts of the outgoing Labour government, with the support of the Tories and against the wishes of the LibDems. This undemocratically enacted act must be repealed and the parliament must be given a proper debate about its future.
Why is it important?
The Digital Economy Act was brought into force just as the election was called. The so called wash-up ensured that the law was never given proper scrutiny by the parliament and that a prolonged debate was avoided. This is undemocratic, sets a dangerous precedent.
Apart from the lack of democratic oversight in the enactment of the bill, the text of the law is itself greatly flawed. It threatens to disconnect everyone whose connection was ever used for an illegal purpose. Moreover, the burden of proof falls on the accused, rather than the accuser – if they get information from the ISP that seems to suggest a download happened on that link it is up to the defender to prove this did not occur. Maybe your neighbour came over and asked you to share your internet connection, you agreed and they downloaded something illegal. You will be disconnected, even though you never actually did anything illegal. The rule of law so cherished by many figures in British history is being seriously damaged here.
We are letting our most fundamental liberties be eroded here, and for what purpose? The rich copyright owners (this is not the same as the producer of the work) feel that the billions they already have is not enough. We must stand up for our rights now and end this travesty.