Bad^Hat
The Freeman
- Joined
- May 13, 2003
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Was just reminded about this and thought I should pass it on to our kiwi members, in case it slipped your mind or you hadn't heard. The three strikes bill that was pushed through as part of the emergency legislature for the Christchurch quakes (classy, right?) is coming into effect next month, and in fact any illegal activity could already be subject to a warning as of August 11. What constitutes illegal activity? Besides the obvious copyright infringement, the law specifically pertains to peer-to-peer file sharing, which means anything like bittorrent or gnutella (does anyone even use that any more?). Any other activity, as far as I can tell, won't be subject to any further scrutiny as a result of the law. Basically, it seems like the easiest way to steer clear of trouble is to just cut out any torrenting or file sharing altogether.
You can find out more about the law and how to prepare here: http://3strikes.net.nz
Anyway, what does everyone else think of the law? There's been a lot of talk about how it was passed down by US lobbyists who are using NZ as a test-bed to spread such laws to larger countries. The way it was brought in is also fishy, being rushed through as part of Christchurch's emergency legislation, meaning it wasn't even put up to a vote. The other thing that's causing controversy is the fact that the internet account holder will always be held accountable for any illegal activity, regardless of involvement or even awareness of it, and that there's no way to appeal this should they be taken to court. This is especially troublesome for places that provide wifi access such as cafes, or organizations that have their own networks like universities, as they might be forced to restrict or deny access to their networks. Even someone with an unsecured wireless connection could be liable if anyone uses their connection in this way. Honestly, I foresee a pretty big cluster**** after this comes into effect, which will hopefully result in it being put back on the table and, at the very least, being written with a bit more consideration. Frankly though, this bill and everyone who helped it see the light of day can go **** themselves with a railroad spike.
You can find out more about the law and how to prepare here: http://3strikes.net.nz
Anyway, what does everyone else think of the law? There's been a lot of talk about how it was passed down by US lobbyists who are using NZ as a test-bed to spread such laws to larger countries. The way it was brought in is also fishy, being rushed through as part of Christchurch's emergency legislation, meaning it wasn't even put up to a vote. The other thing that's causing controversy is the fact that the internet account holder will always be held accountable for any illegal activity, regardless of involvement or even awareness of it, and that there's no way to appeal this should they be taken to court. This is especially troublesome for places that provide wifi access such as cafes, or organizations that have their own networks like universities, as they might be forced to restrict or deny access to their networks. Even someone with an unsecured wireless connection could be liable if anyone uses their connection in this way. Honestly, I foresee a pretty big cluster**** after this comes into effect, which will hopefully result in it being put back on the table and, at the very least, being written with a bit more consideration. Frankly though, this bill and everyone who helped it see the light of day can go **** themselves with a railroad spike.
