Will Irish Law Firms Accuse You Of Illegal Filesharing?

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Will Irish Law Firms Accuse You Of Illegal Filesharing?

Tackling illegal downloads or speculative invoicing money making racket? by SoftwareGuru Irish internet users take note - London solicitors ACS:Law have been ordering UK Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to hand over customer details. The arrival of the 3 strikes law in Ireland should make users sit up and take notice of how poorly customer data protection has been in the UK. Will a similar situation happen in Ireland? ISP customers, often parents, receive an aggressive letter claiming that the user's IP address (think of it like a car number plate) was logged downloading content illegally. The letter claims that the downloader must pay a large fine as settlement or face going to court. The BBC news website has plenty of stories from people who say they have been wrongly accused and have suffered terrible stress as a result. We all know how the Irish Government have struggled to deal with the ongoing banking crisis. Arguably it is more susceptible now to making a kneejerk decision as the Irish music industry fails to come to terms with the ultimate demise of the physical format and the business model for selling recorded music. There's been plenty of debate online as to how tenuous the relationship is between an IP address and an individual user. In the highly unlikely event that legal proceedings are made against an Irish downloader, it's very easy to highlight how unreliable IP address evidence can be. After all, it's not exactly difficult to switch a car numberplate now is it?
	Spotlight on User Details Headlines making the news this week have brought the subject of data protection law and regulatory failure firmly into the spotlight. What's happening in the UK right now could easily happen in Ireland if we don't make companies take customer data security seriously. Technollama.co.uk - ACS:Law: This is what regulatory failure looks like The Guardian - BT in privacy row after sending customer data to ACS:Law BBC News - Lawyers to continue piracy fight This is just a sample of the many stories available online covering this topic. You don't have to be a lawyer to know that being asked to pay a large fine for alledgely downloading a movie without paying for it, which would cost only a few Euro to buy on DVD, is a profitable business model. Even if only a small percentage pay - eg. elderly people who would rather pay than endure the hassle of defending their innocence in court - for the price of a letter it's easy money. The fact is that the majority of big scale file sharers is made up by a small minority who are tech-savvy enough to stay ahead of any legal or ISP monitoring mechanisms. Will the Government of Ireland acknowledge this and prevent legal firms profiting from scaring alledged one-time offenders into paying fines?
Data Protection Act Actions speak louder than words. While companies will tell you that they take customer privacy seriously, how they handle your data internally and share it with other companies may paint a very different picture. As Technollama puts it in the case of the UK, "While the operational details of the Digital Economy Act are still under consideration by OFCOM, this would be a perfect time to continue to stress the point that all forms of digital evidence about infringement should meet the highest standards of security and reliability." Most of us use the internet daily or at least regularly so surely it's time to contact your local TD and ask them how can we prevent this happening in Ireland? If enough people made their concerns clear to their local TD, something might just happen to ensure that there are less victims in the future. Leaving aside the practises of ACS:Law, the best way to keep a clear conscience is to find the cheapest prices for legal downloads and if you really need a product, pay for it. Student software online stores such as Software4Students Ireland are helping families purchase software legally at low prices. Family internet connections can filter inappropriate content via the router as well as via software installed on the PC. Technology is evolving quickly so it's worth taking the time to ensure personal privacy isn't compromised by companies more concerned with making profits than upholding your digital rights. Make sure your local TD knows how you feel about this important issue. Buy Office 2010 download today for only €64.49 and enjoy huge savings.

Will Irish Law Firms Accuse You Of Illegal Filesharing?

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