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Blackout Europe
16 years ago
Right, this is going to be a fairly political entry but I think it is one that everyone living in the European Union should know about. What follows is an e-mail I have sent to my MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) concerning the Telecoms Package they are going to vote on the 5th of May:
As a concerned citizen I would like to draw your attention to the Telecoms Package, which I believe will be voted on by the European Parliament on the 5th of May. As I understand it, this Telecoms Package will allow Internet service providers to place limitations on our access to the Internet in the form of packages. It is my belief that this will strangle the life of the Internet and have adverse effects on small businesses, democracy and civil liberties, and unfairly punish the majority of Internet users.
Many small businesses rely on the Internet to sell their products; in this current economic climate where high street shops are closing on a regular basis the Internet provides a way for them to continue with their business without the costs of maintaining a physical shop. The Telecoms Package could very well restrict and perhaps even reverse the growth of these new industries.
Furthermore, I believe the Telecoms Package would be in violation of the human right to freedom of expression as outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights. The Internet provides an unparalleled forum with which to create, exchange, and debate new ideas. It provides a dynamic new way for people to access new information, in a way not seen since the advent of the printing press in the 15th century. Democracy can only truly function if people have unfettered access to information and new ideas. Restriction of this sort is the hallmark of tyrannical regimes. Thus we can see how the Internet aids democracy, by making people aware of the issues around they can be motivated to act on them and make informed choices come election time.
Yes there are negatives to the Internet, particularly piracy and pornography, but there are positives to unfettered access to the Internet; business and freedom of speech as I had just described, it also provides ways of keeping in touch with people through instant messaging and webcam conversations. Not only that some of the closest friends I have ever made have been through the Internet, some of them living as far away as Australia. For those either restricted to their homes through some disability or lack the confidence to make friends and talk to people 'face-to-face' it provides some greater measure of social interaction.
While there are definite problems with the Internet I believe that the positives outweigh the negatives. Piracy and other illicit matters only make up a small minority of total Internet usage. Unfortunately this is a fact of the Internet and will undoubtedly slip through the net cast by the Telecoms Package. Instead it will be the innocent who will be punished: the casual user who uses the Internet to book holidays; shop online for things that cannot be easily found in the high street; look up and get in contact with old friends they have not seen in years; as their access to these things would be restricted. It makes little sense to punish the innocent majority of Internet users for the crimes committed by a small handful of people.
In conclusion, I respectfully implore you to support amendments, which will safeguard our rights to access and distribute content across the Internet; and to reject any text that discusses placing restrictions or limitations on Internet access. I ask that you guarantee our rights to freely access the Internet and to ensure that all websites and services are freely available to all users.
As a concerned citizen I would like to draw your attention to the Telecoms Package, which I believe will be voted on by the European Parliament on the 5th of May. As I understand it, this Telecoms Package will allow Internet service providers to place limitations on our access to the Internet in the form of packages. It is my belief that this will strangle the life of the Internet and have adverse effects on small businesses, democracy and civil liberties, and unfairly punish the majority of Internet users.
Many small businesses rely on the Internet to sell their products; in this current economic climate where high street shops are closing on a regular basis the Internet provides a way for them to continue with their business without the costs of maintaining a physical shop. The Telecoms Package could very well restrict and perhaps even reverse the growth of these new industries.
Furthermore, I believe the Telecoms Package would be in violation of the human right to freedom of expression as outlined in the European Convention on Human Rights. The Internet provides an unparalleled forum with which to create, exchange, and debate new ideas. It provides a dynamic new way for people to access new information, in a way not seen since the advent of the printing press in the 15th century. Democracy can only truly function if people have unfettered access to information and new ideas. Restriction of this sort is the hallmark of tyrannical regimes. Thus we can see how the Internet aids democracy, by making people aware of the issues around they can be motivated to act on them and make informed choices come election time.
Yes there are negatives to the Internet, particularly piracy and pornography, but there are positives to unfettered access to the Internet; business and freedom of speech as I had just described, it also provides ways of keeping in touch with people through instant messaging and webcam conversations. Not only that some of the closest friends I have ever made have been through the Internet, some of them living as far away as Australia. For those either restricted to their homes through some disability or lack the confidence to make friends and talk to people 'face-to-face' it provides some greater measure of social interaction.
While there are definite problems with the Internet I believe that the positives outweigh the negatives. Piracy and other illicit matters only make up a small minority of total Internet usage. Unfortunately this is a fact of the Internet and will undoubtedly slip through the net cast by the Telecoms Package. Instead it will be the innocent who will be punished: the casual user who uses the Internet to book holidays; shop online for things that cannot be easily found in the high street; look up and get in contact with old friends they have not seen in years; as their access to these things would be restricted. It makes little sense to punish the innocent majority of Internet users for the crimes committed by a small handful of people.
In conclusion, I respectfully implore you to support amendments, which will safeguard our rights to access and distribute content across the Internet; and to reject any text that discusses placing restrictions or limitations on Internet access. I ask that you guarantee our rights to freely access the Internet and to ensure that all websites and services are freely available to all users.
SP
There is some good news, however, there is a clause in the bill that states this is only a recommendation that EU states should debate and vote on in similar bills to this. If it does get through, and hopefully it won't with all the freedom of expression groups razing hell about it, it will only come into force if the UK Parliament votes on it. If so I'll be speaking with my MP, I know him personally and he's a profound Euro-skeptic, all I have to say is 'EU meddling' and he'll vote against it.