U2's manager wants the power to cut off your Internet connection

[PeaceNikki]

http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/09/u2s-manager-wants-to.html

The Guardian looks at the French Three Strikes law, whose final discussion will happen today in both chambers of the French parliament. I thought you might be interested into making a reply to it. It's pure mantra and doesn't talk about the most disturbing points:

- it gives the entertainment industries the power to police the internet by themselves

- the whole procedure is based on immaterial, unverifiable, unopposable proofs (IP address listings)

- you cannot claim your innocence before the sanction is ordered.

Innocents will inevitably be disconnected.

As the NYT reported today: "Nonetheless, Internet advocates call the French proposal legally unsound on the ground that there are inadequate the provisions for challenging an action, and because it gives industry groups the power to police the Internet. Others question whether the law would unfairly penalize those whose wireless broadband accounts are misused by others. The French law tries to anticipate this by making it a civil infraction for citizens to fail to 'secure' their broadband accounts by using approved filtering technology."

The Guardian piece consists of U2's manager talking about how it would be great if private corporations -- phone companies and music labels -- got the power to take away your Internet connection on the basis of unproven accusations of copyright infringement.

More at link

[pleah]

1. WTF? n/t

[cdsilv]

2. Wonder if Bono knows his manager is doing this?

If so, no more U2 for me.

[PeaceNikki]

3. If he didn't, he must now.

[juno jones]

4. U2 has been a blazing disapointment since they discovered fame

and capitalism.

Between the stage hauled by 150 semis, Bono's part-ownership of Forbes mag, their feudal mansions originally built on the exploitation of their own ancestors and Bono's wife's chi-chi line of save the earth hemp designerware cranked out in Africa and sold for top dollar here I have no more words to say but "hypocrites'.

Now this. Bono wants EVERY penny, even if innocents will get caught up in this.


I like their music up to War. When they were real, when they were punk. they have been a huge disapointment to someone who thought they might be the ones to popularize a message of peace, awareness, labor rights, hope etc to the venal 80's.