European MPs Reject Calls For Internet Ban On Illegal File Sharers

Members of the European Parliament have voted against calls for illegal file sharers to be disconnected from the internet.

In a tight vote, MEPs said that measures outlined in a report on cultural industries, which included disconnecting people from the internet, “shouldn’t be used”.

Instead, they backed an amendment which said the European Community should “avoid adopting measures conflicting with civil liberties and human rights.”

The Parliament’s decision is likely to put Europe on a collision path with a number of its member states, including the United Kingdom.

The British Government, along with the British Phonographic Industry, is already considering laws that would allow internet service providers (ISP) to disconnect people from the internet.

The Carphone Warehouse, the company behind the ISP Talk Talk, has already said they would veto the Governments plans, however.

Earlier this week, they said they could not “foresee any circumstances in which we would voluntarily disconnect a customer's account on the basis of a third party alleging a wrong doing.”