NUJ will oppose Digital Economy Act

Journalism, the NUJ’s in-house magazine, is reporting that the NUJ is calling for repeal or further amendment to the Digital Economy Act. Their resolution deals with internet cut-offs as well as web blocking.

The NUJ joins Liberty and Consumer Focus as well as ORG in drawing attention to the continuing human rights and censorship concerns. Their resolution, passed in May, reads:

1. Any measures to allow the blocking of websites must be implemented in such a way that fully protects the freedom of information and expression. Sites that link incidentally to illegally-distributed material, such as search engines, or that inadvertently distribute material illegally, such as sites based on user-generated content or free wifi providers, should be exempted from the provisions. The possibility of a public interest defence should be made explicit in the implementation of the Act’s provisions.

2. The NUJ should work with colleagues in the FEU [Federation of Entertainment Unions] to support new ways to make entertainment pay as an alternative to the counter-productive repressive measures in the Digital Economy Act. Many of these will include online systems where there are NUJ members or potential members.

3. The union should support, in principle, efforts to challenge the Act in the courts to ensure that any measures that are implemented are fair and consistent with international law.