Britain clamps down on Internet piracy

U.K. Internet users beware: if you continue to illegally download movies and music, we'll find you and shut down your Internet connection. At least that's the British government's take in a proposed illegal file-sharing law, which not surprisingly drew the ire of civil rights groups and ISPs. A Wall Street Journal article reported that the government said that the proposed elements of the law will not only reduce a suspected pirate's connection speed, but also block access to content download sites and even ban the user from the Internet altogether.

The U.K.'s proposal, which will be evaluated by Parliament in November, follows France's move to take away Internet access from pirate users. By passing a bill in May to shut down an offender's connection, France has created what could be one of the first government agencies to hunt down and punish online pirates. However, Britain will have to wait until 2011 to enact a similar pirate user ban.  

For more:
- Wall Street Journal has this article