Fools rush in? UK digital economy bill
Jinfo Blog

17th March 2010

By Joanna Ptolomey

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All governments and societies want to be successful in the digital world. In the UK the government produced their plan - Digital Britain in 2009 (http://digbig.com/5bbgaw). In recent LiveWire postings there has been commentary on the way in which the government and the public sector can or will or hope to make this happen (see http://www.vivavip.com/go/e28051 and http://www.vivavip.com/go/e28030). But how do you go from planning and strategy to implementation in a digital economy? You need an implementation plan and partly in the UK this comes in the form of the UK Digital Economy Bill (http://digbig.com/5bbgax). The bill is causing a ‘right stooshie’ - Scottish vernacular for a fight or altercation - across many business and industry spectrums. Many feel that it is being rushed through. It has already had a third reading in the House of Lords and moves so very close to becoming law. What is causing the furore? Why do many believe that rather than protecting rights in a digital age, of which the UK government wants, this Bill may in fact desperately fail on so many basic levels. Many believe that there is a real lack of understanding on the nature of how we use the Internet. If a ‘Digital Britain’ really is on the cards and engagement is required by all stakeholders (business and public) then perhaps there needs to be further pause. Indeed rushed decisions now could increase digital exclusion and harms those most in need. Many believe that it will be small businesses, schools and libraries that will suffer with a knock-on effect in the communities. Accessibility is a key criteria for the success in social and economic inclusion, and although the UK government want universal Internet connection, the bill does not seem to offer protection to account holders. Jim Killock, writing in the New Scientist, explains it neatly. Account holders will be responsible for infringements ‘punishable by disconnection’. The onus will be on the user to appeal and show that they did not infringe – is it guilty until otherwise proven? It is not hard to see why the word ‘censorship’ appears rather frequently when discussing this Bill. There is a gathering of concern from various interested parties such as the Open Rights Group (http://digbig.com/5bbgbg), the libraries and universities community (http://digbig.com/5bbgbf) and an open letter in The Financial Times from some of the big Internet and technology companies (http://digbig.com/5bbgbe). They believe that the bill has ‘unintended consequences that far outweigh any benefits’. Does the Digital Economy Bill spell disaster for the UK digital economy? The Coalition for Digital Economy (Coadec) believe that the Bill will not innovate the digital economy which it was intended for, but rather it will provide a noose to deter and stifle innovation and creativity. If you want to follow communications on the Digital Economy Bill via Twitter use hashtags #DEBill #copyright #digitalinclusion. A useful blog to follow is panGloss – a UK based cyberlaw blog.

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