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UK Law Enforcement Is Against "3-Strikes"

Posted by kdawson on from the swing-and-a-miss dept.

Now that the UK is discussing plans for some form of 3-strikes regime to discourage file-sharing, TechDirt reports that the fans of due process have picked up unlikely allies: the law enforcement and spying establishments fear that a 3-strikes policy would result in far more encryption on the Net, greatly complicating their jobs. "Of course, they're not as concerned about due process and civil rights, as they are about making it more difficult to track down criminals online: 'Law enforcement groups, which include the Serious and Organized Crime Agency and the Metropolitan Police's e-crime unit, believe that more encryption will increase the costs and workload for those attempting to monitor internet traffic. ... A source involved in drafting the Bill said that the intelligence agencies, MI5 and MI6, had also voiced concerns about disconnection. "The spooks hate it," the source said.'" The Times (UK) Online has more details.

3 of 134 comments (clear)

  1. Law enforcement isn't a US sports game by fantomas · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Never really understood this "3 strikes and you're out" theory. Law enforcement is too complex to be modelled after the rules of a US sports game. Can somebody explain how this idiotic idea came about, the thinking behind it?

    What next? You don't go to jail if you say "Simon says" before committing an offence? Police can't arrest you if you're not touching the ground when they catch up with you?

    1. Re:Law enforcement isn't a US sports game by Shagg · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Can somebody explain how this idiotic idea came about

      It comes from the music industry executives.

      the thinking behind it?

      There isn't any.

      Well, other than the fact that taking people to court, not to mention the whole annoying thing about having to come up with evidence/proof, is too difficult. So they thought it would be a good idea if they could just bypass the legal system. All that "due process" stuff is too much trouble. It's much easier if they can just kick people off based on accusations.

      --
      Unix is user friendly, it's just selective about who its friends are.
  2. psychopathology by Onymous+Coward · · Score: 5, Interesting

    This simplistic and damaging law-making gets traction because of the people who are overly punitive.

    That trait of excessive eagerness to punish is often coupled with these other traits:

    • conventionalism
    • authoritarian submission
    • authoritarian aggression
    • anti-intraception (anti-{need to analyze behaviors and feelings of others})
    • superstition and belief stereotypy
    • power and "toughness"
    • destructiveness and cynicism
    • projectivity
    • exaggerated concerns over sexuality

    Authoritarian Personality WP article

    "The Authoritarians" paper