A civilized internet?

France’s step in the wrong direction to combat piracy

Michael Silicz, staff

Ever worry that somebody might check your Internet browser history to see what kind of websites you’ve been visiting?

Come on now . . . everyone knows how to clear their Internet browser’s history and cache. Don’t be shy; admit it. When you go to delete your digital footprint, you do so out of fear and embarrassment that somebody, somehow, might just maybe find out about that dirty dark corner of the Internet you’ve surfed to on more than one occasion. But luckily for Canadians, nobody can actually hold you accountable for where you go and for what you download (with only a very few criminal exceptions). And for that, Canadians should be thankful.

But what if somebody out there is actually watching you? And I’m not talking about your friends, family, or your boss. What if some stranger is watching where you surf to, and more importantly, what you download? Worse yet, what if that stranger was the government?

Taking a page from George Orwell, the Government of France has created an anti-piracy body with broad coercive powers to do exactly that. According the CBC, “The independent authority, to be supervised by a judge, was set up after a federal committee brokered a deal between Internet firms, record companies, filmmakers and [the French] government.” Worst of all is that “Internet providers will monitor what their customers are doing and pass on information to the new body about web surfers who are consistently pirating material.” Even in a country known for increased government intervention in all spheres of life, this step seems far beyond acceptable.

France’s move is an absolutely startling development in the realm of digital rights. Worse yet, the policy of French President Nicolas Sarkozy is an alarming step in the wrong direction in the war against digital piracy. It would be one thing if this “independent authority” were going after the tiny fraction of pirates who actively profit from the distribution of intellectual property. However, that’s not the plan’s purpose.

This move, in what Sarkozy describes as a “decisive moment for the future of a civilized Internet,” is aimed at causal piracy, and not large-scale Internet thievery. This means that you and I – people who download songs from CDs we already own and movies and shows we’ve watched for free on television – are lumped in the same league as Internet pirates who derive massive profits off of illegally selling intellectual property. This stupefying action of the French government into the private sphere of its citizens will do little to curb Internet piracy, as it simply ignores Internet piracy’s root causes.

While attempting to end piracy is a noble, just, and legal goal, it misses the point: piracy cannot be curbed without an overarching authority. While it is laudable that the French government has legislatively created such an authority, the bottom line is that the Internet is far bigger than France – no regulatory body on earth can possibly police the World Wide Web. By targeting everyone – from the real pirates to old ladies who download Christmas carols – France’s policy must and will fail. In attempting to go after the demand of illegally shared files, instead of the supply, France’s plan is doomed from the outset. Good luck, Mr. Sarkozy, “civilizing the Internet.”

Michael Silicz is the comment editor of the Manitoban and is a student of law and political studies.