Mo McRoberts has been all over the Digital Economy Bill for months now and has now published an open letter to politicians which I’ve added my own name to. It’s here.

I haven’t written nearly enough on this subject and time appears to be running out. I’m reliably informed that the Lib Dems intend to vote this down at the 3rd reading, but if the Tories and Labour want it to go through there’s very little that can be done. Sadly Westminister machinations, strategy and technical shenanigans are largely invisible to the outside world, so it’s pretty much anyone’s guess what the Lib Dem Parlimentary Party actually thinks.

There’s no way the Digital Economy Bill is going to fit into the current news cycle, what with the General Election consuming all else. It’s not going to be talked about in any press conferences, it’s not going to appear on any Focus leaflets. No-one wants to claim credit for this turd of a bill and no-one particularly wants to make a big splash opposing it either. So apart from a bunch of Lib Dems lurking in the dark probably trying to stop it, and a lot of very angry nerds on the internet this may as well not be happening. Sigh.

What’s happening? Well, anyone who owns an internet connection will be liable for anything that goes through it. That includes private connections, people who run internet cafes, wi-fi zones and other public internet sources. Something ‘naughty’ goes through you can be disconnected, and if you want to appeal you’re going to have to pay for it yourself.

In addition, and more alarmingly, copyright holders will be able to use the Government to cut you off from websites they believe are breaching their copyright. This is a mild improvement over the original plan of giving Peter Mandelson the power to grant himself whatever power he feels like to ‘deal with the problem’ so to speak.

I think this passive aggressive note curtesy of the Open Rights Group covers it quite well:

Both these ideas fundamentally change the relationship between internet users and the Government: The internet is to become the Government’s gift to us, to take away and limit as they see fit. That’s profound. It’s monumental. It changes everything.

For me, this change in the power relationship, this reversal of the current situation, opens the door for an even more draconian and censorious approach to the Internet. The Australian Labour Party has been unable to resist the instant populism of banning all sorts of unpleasant websites, and that’s only possible because the Australian Government have assumed responsibility for and control of the Internet.

It’s depressing that the last thing in this country that’s entirely free of Government interference, that’s uniquely free, that’s ours not theirs, is about to fall.

And it’s all happening quietly, unnoticed, unremarked about, playing second fiddle to crucial life or death issues like DO YOU HAVE PLANS TO RAISE VAT?! and analysing every blink and twitch on Gordon Brown’s face.

One day there’ll be a politician that actually acknowledges some limits to their power. Presumably this will happen after Britain becomes a global leader in the Green Industry Of the Future…. presumably.