Anti-piracy laws will affect ‘hardly anybody’ says UK minister

UK culture minister Sion Simon says the upcoming anti-piracy legislation, which is expected to include the threat of internet disconnections, will affect “hardly anybody, other than the most serious and egregious recidivistic offenders”. Simon has also stressed that “nobody will have their bandwidth squeezed or their account suspended until they have had repeated letters, been given a healthy notice period and then had a right of appeal – indeed, two rights of appeal… We are not creating a sledgehammer, we are creating a light-touch regime to enforce the existing law.” The measures are due to be announced next week, as part of a Digital Economy bill.