RIAA Makes Copyright an Issue in Net Neutrality

The RIAA, which represents the music industry, has asked Google to be more specific on any proposals on net neutrality to include provisions to combat copyright infringement and child pornography, the latter an anomaly for the group which does not active partake in any initiatives regarding the topic.

RIAA argues that any net neutrality proposal should give ISPs authority to take action against the issues, being copyright infringements and child porn. Such actions could be cutting off traffic to infringers, throttling their connection speeds, to terminating their service all together. According to the RIAA, “We all share the goal of a robust Internet that is highly accessible, secure and safe for individuals and commerce.”

While the RIAA has previously sought legal action against copyright violators, this recent action shows that the group is willing to work with ISPs to curtail the illegal distribution of copyrighted works before it happens. However, the efforts of the RIAA are not without opponents. The Electronic Frontier Foundation, a proponent for true neutrality on the net, says that the provisions that the RIAA requested may be a false pretense for censorship. An attorney for the EFF says, “Neutrality regulations should not excuse ISPs that discriminate against or block innocent content just because they claim it was done to protect copyrights or cater to law enforcement.”

Publisher’s note: aren’t there other laws to address these issues? Don’t you think that the RIAA is just trying to get some press by piggy-backing on the popular topic of the week? Should ISPs be responsible for enforcing various internet-related crimes and violations?

Filed in Computers >General..

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