Digital Economy Bill bill could 'breach rights'

An influential group of Members of Parliament and peers have said the UK government's approach to illegal file-sharing could breach the rights of Internet users in the U.K.

The Joint Select Committee on Human Rights said the government's Digital Economy Bill needed clarification. It said that technical measures - which include cutting off persistent pirates - were not "sufficiently specified". In addition, it said that it was concerned that the Bill could create "over-broad powers". "The Internet is constantly creating new challenges for policy-makers but that cannot justify ill-defined or sweeping legislative responses, especially when there is the possibility of restricting freedom of expression or the privacy of individual users," said Andrew Dismore MP and chair of the Committee.