Richard's Kingdom

The Open Rights Group calls attention to a proposed Digital Economy Bill amendment that, if accepted, would allow the Government to censor the web in the name of enforcing copyright law.
I have put fingers to keyboard once again, therefore, resulting in the following missive to the noble Lords who came up with the idea.

Dear Lord [...]

Dear Lords and Ladies of the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee
I’m writing to ask you to represent the voice of UK citizens during the passage through the House of Lords of the Government’s Digital Economy Bill.
I am deeply concerned by the measures this Bill would introduce, and given that my MP seems unwilling [...]

Flying in the face of reason, evidence, society, human rights, Europe and the conclusions of its own Digital Britain report, the Government yesterday announced legislation to disconnect from the Internet anyone accused of copyright infringement online.
No, that isn’t a typo, you read correctly: accused. Not guilty. Accused.
There’s more: today Cory Doctorow claimed on his blog [...]

Legal firm Carter-Ruck has lost a secret battle to keep from public scrutiny the actions of its client the multi-national oil traders Trafigura.
In a masterful display of political and media manoeuvring the Guardian led a charge of the blog-brigade against an injunction preventing the newspaper from reporting Parliamentary proceedings relating to the case. In a [...]

To: Alan Powell, Editor, The Star
Dear Sir
James Hall is wrong to claim ID cards will be voluntary (Letters, 10 June).
Sheffield residents won’t be forced onto the National Identity Register directly, unless they’re from outside the European Economic Area, however the Government intends to make it impossible for us to live without an ID card.
Compulsion will [...]