Dave Horvath
24 Aug 2006 12:31
In a Dutch court proceeding, a judge informed Internet provider UPC, a division of Liberty Global, that it is to release the name and contact information of a suspected file-swapper on their network.
While this normally would intrude on Dutch privacy laws (as well as similar laws worldwide), the Amsterdam judge stated that this ruling does not violate the laws if it meets two conditions. One being that they can prove, beyond reasonable doubt that the file swapping has taken place and two being that the person registered as the user is the same person actually committing the act.
Internet lawyers say that this is the first time that a court ruling has been granted to release private information about it's consumers. This could, in turn, mark a very serious turning point for people in the file-sharing community. With identities no longer being safe, organizations hell bent on stopping file-sharing could be armed with new ammunition to take down would be offenders.
Source:
Reuters