Internet Threats

Copyright enforcement is not the only threat to the open and neutral Internet. Since I began researching EU policy in 2007, we have seen several different groups of stakeholders lobbying for blocks to be placed on websites or user access. One of those groups of stakeholders is concerned with children, and confuses the method of dealing with child pornography, which is a criminal offence, with parental control of what children see. These are two quite different problems, and the policy approach should be addressed in different fora. Other calls for Internet blocking are now arising in respect to libel and defamation, and we have seen this in the UK with the Twitter injunctions. Further calls came after the recent UK riots - a knee-jerk to block Blackberry Messenger, without any real consideration of how such blocking would solve the actual problem at hand. This section will address these issues in relation to policy and the EU.

Defamation on the Net: can an aging Lord show the way?

Monica Horten

Published on 28 November 2012

ISPs and hosting sites could be subject to increased liability for defamatory content, uner new laws proposed in two EU Member States: Italy and Britain. However, the recent case of Lord McAlpine in Britain illustrates how the existing law can cope very well with defamation via the Internet, and seems to suggest an interesting solution – if only policy-makers would consider it!

EU–Canada Trade Agreement – copyright enforcement via the cat-flap?

Monica Horten

Published on 11 October 2012

How could an EU-Canada Trade Agreement change copyright law?

An alert has been issued over the possible inclusion of copyright enforcment measures – and in particular, of criminal sanctions - in a new EU- Canada Trade Agreement (CETA). It is understood that the proposed criminal measures could be similar to those in the Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).

Lord Mandelson, Prince Harry and closing the Internet floodgates

Monica Horten

Published on 14 September 2012

Lord Mandelson has written to the Financial Times about the photos of Prince Harry’s antics in a Las Vegas hotel room. His point is not however, about the ethics of playing strip-billiards. No, he was commenting on the effect of the Internet on privacy and freedom of expression, and on the profitability of news media. His comments apply equally to todays publication of photos of Kate Middleton.

It was Lord Mandelson, you will recall, who forced in the Digital Economy Act with technical measures to block access to copyright-infringing material. In Lord Mandelson’s opinion, the Internet is unleashing a flood of ‘uncorroborated, undigested and unmediated news’. If you ignore the tone of the letter, which is a bit like a rant by a no-longer-important ex-Minister, it does raise some questions for policy-makers concerning the Internet.

About Iptegrity.com

Iptegrity.com is the website of Dr Monica Horten, independent policy writer and Visiting Fellow at the London School of Economics & Political Science. She was shortlisted for The Guardian Open Internet Poll 2012. Iptegrity offers expert insights into Internet policy. Iptegrity is read by lawyers, academics, policy-makers and citizens, and cited in the media. Please acknowledge Iptegrity when you cite or link. For more, see IP politics with integrity