Here’s some interesting news for you, especially those of you who favor the BitTorrent and such for your movie gathering pleasure who live in Great Britain–they’re cutting your cord. Here’s the word:

Under the previous Digital Britain proposals, ISPs would send warning letters to web users suspected of illegal downloading. If those efforts failed to reduce piracy by at least 70 percent, Ofcom would, in 2012, have the power to slow down users’ connections.  However, reports this morning say those regularly downloading copyright content will have their internet connection blocked completely should they continue their file-sharing activities after receiving the warning letters.

Now here’s the worst part of the whole mess–there’s actually a clause in those proposals that say that the blocked connections have NOTHING to do with that seventy percent target.  Rather, those are left to “the discretion of ministers”.

Basically, in Great Britain, under the Digital Britain proposals, anyone can kill your internet for any reason at all, including none.  That’s what the phrase “discretion of ministers” generally means.  Lord Worchester Of Sussex On Avonshropshiresley might wake up constipated one fine October morning and decide that you don’t need your internet access any more.

Next thing you know, bam.  No more YouTube.  it’s lost at “the discretion of ministers”.  How this would apply to public wi-fi hotspots where people stop in and use the internet and leave would be utterly beyond me.

Where’s V when you need him, huh?