The Human Rights Joint Select Committee has come out against the Digital Economy Bill, claiming it could breach the rights of internet users.
Focusing on the proposals that deal with illegal filesharing, the committee has released a report detailing where its concerns lie.
The technical measures that could be taken by the Government and ISPs seemed to be the committee's biggest bug to bear, due to a lack of definition.
"The scope of the measures will be defined in secondary legislation and could be wide-ranging," the report said.
"We do not believe that such a skeletal approach to powers which engage human rights is appropriate. There is potential for these powers to be applied in a disproportionate manner which could lead to a breach of internet users' rights to respect for correspondence and freedom of expression."
The report also raised concerns about clause 17 of the bill, which would allow the Government to change copyright law without going through the full legislative process.
The committee claims to have been told amendments to the clause will be brought in to limit the circumstances where it can be used.
However its report concluded: "Despite the proposed amendments we are concerned that Clause 17 remains overly broad and that parliamentary scrutiny may remain inadequate."
Other groups have also come out against this clause, including internet giants eBay, Google, Yahoo and Facebook who wrote to the Government asking for the clause to be removed.
We contacted the Business, Skills and Innovations department which Lord Mandelson, champion for the bill, presides over for comment but it had not responded to our request at the time of publication.
-
RSAC Conference 2025: The front line of cyber innovationITPro Podcast Ransomware, quantum computing, and an unsurprising focus on AI were highlights of this year's event
-
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei thinks we're burying our heads in the sand on AI job lossesNews With AI set to hit entry-level jobs especially, some industry execs say clear warning signs are being ignored
-
‘A major step forward’: Keir Starmer’s £187 million tech skills drive welcomed by UK industryNews The ‘TechFirst’ program aims to shore up the UK’s digital skills to meet future AI needs
-
Government’s ‘Humphrey’ AI tool helps local authorities cut costsNews The Minute tool, part of the Humphrey AI assistant, is being trialled at 25 councils
-
Starmer bets big on AI to unlock public sector savingsNews AI adoption could be a major boon for the UK and save taxpayers billions, according to prime minister Keir Starmer.
-
UK government targets ‘startup’ mindset in AI funding overhaulNews Public sector AI funding will be overhauled in the UK in a bid to simplify processes and push more projects into development.
-
UK government signs up Anthropic to improve public servicesNews The UK government has signed a memorandum of understanding with Anthropic to explore how the company's Claude AI assistant could be used to improve access to public services.
-
The UK’s AI ambitions face one major hurdle – finding enough home-grown talentNews Research shows UK enterprises are struggling to fill AI roles, raising concerns over the country's ability to meet expectations in the global AI race.
-
US government urged to overhaul outdated technologyNews A review from the US Government Accountability Office (GAO) has found legacy technology and outdated IT systems are negatively impacting efficiency.
-
Government urged to improve tech procurement practicesNews The National Audit Office highlighted wasted money and a lack of progress on major digital transformation programmes
