Australian human-rights groups on Tuesday expressed fear over the possible takeover of Internet Service Providers (ISP) with regard to the web content access and control in the country, citing the highly anticipated verdict of the Federal Court over Internet piracy on Thursday.
The Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA), a group established to protect the civil rights of millions of online users in the country, fear that the Federal anti-piracy court could turn ISP firms to “online copyrights police” and cut the Internet access of users accused of illegally downloading or sharing files over peer-to-peer networks.
“There will be a paradigm shift. We will have to be used in seeing the rest of our lives offline,” EFA Spokesperson Geordie Guy said.
The verdict on the piracy case, which has pitted Australia’s largest Internet provider iiNet against Hollywood and Ausie film and television producers, is expected to come out on Thursday.
It will be recalled that entertainment companies, including Hollywood giants Paramount Pictures, Village Roadshow, and Twentieth Century Fox International have accused iiNet of allowing or have not done enough to prevent thousands of online users from sharing music and movie files illegally on the Internet.
However, iiNet stressed that it has never authorized or encourage, in any way, online users from illegally sharing or downloading files online. In fact, the company has even warned users from using P2P networks and sharing copyright infringed files.
Meanwhile, EFA said that there is a big possibility that the Australian Internet piracy case could go further that similar cases filed around the world, saying that ISP companies are usually held responsible for the illegal activities done by consumers.
“For example, we’ve have never seen an electric company being held responsible for supplying electricity to homes that were found growing or making illicit drugs,” he said.
Based on court records, at least 94, 000 alleged violations were committed in iiNet’s network in just 59 weeks.