captsolo weblog

Activities of Irish recording industry association are putting online freedom in danger. The Internet is one of the most important tools that people have access to these days and it keeps us informed, can be our workplace and can help people get support when it is needed. Governments are claiming that we should lessen the digital divide that separates people into those who have access to the Internet (and computers) and those who do not.

It is this time when the record companies say: “hey, we want to be both judge and executioner in cutting people off the Internet". That is what the “3-strike disconnect” demands are about. To let private companies cut someone off the Net for indefinite time without due process and without a way to clear the accusations.

Even in court cases the “evidence” (which would be enough to disconnect users in Ireland) of record company investigators has been proven wrong. They have accused people who are disabled (and they may suffer the most if disconnected from the Net) and people who don’t even own a computer. If their evidence is courts is questionable, how can we trust what they do together with ISPs behind closed doors and without any transparency?

To protest against this threat, join Blackout Ireland.
Make your avatar black showing support for Irish Internet users.

• Blackout Ireland blog
• follow #blackoutirl on Twitter

In press:

• EFF: Irish Blackout: Why Irish ISPs Should Stand with Their Customers
• Ars Technica: Blackout Ireland rallies support against P2P disconnections