14 DAY TRIAL // The French Senate, one of the two bodies which must approve a bill before it can become law, has just passed a measure aimed at banning “persistent pirates” from using the Internet. The measure was passed with an overwhelming majority. There were 297 votes for it and only 15 votes against it.
The idea is to implement a system based on a “three strike rule”. If you download something copyrighted on the Internet, let's say the latest installment in the Red Alert franchise, then you get an e-mail that tells you why what you are doing is wrong. A second infringement will get you a letter from the authorities delivered in your snail mail, warning you of the consequences of continued piracy. If you are caught a third time pirating games, then you will be disconnected from the Internet by your Internet service provider.
Nicolas Sarkozy, the President of France, said in late 2007 that such a measure is “a decisive moment for the future of a civilized internet”. If the bill passes, then the government will be able to survey Internet traffic looking for pirated content and employers will be encouraged to install software which monitors the activity of everyone in the company.
The European Union has already rejected a similar idea, saying earlier in the year that something like this would affect “civil liberties and human rights”, so the French law could be challenged in court.
Well, piracy is bad and all but the level of surveillance and monitoring that would be needed in order to see who pirates which games would be immense and would constitute a medicine that is way worse than the disease it could cure. And French legislators should be aware that you can pirate stuff without going on to the Internet.