ISP Filtering/Blocking Systems Restricts the Right for Privacy

 
Back in 2007, Sabam (Société belge des auteurs compositeurs et éditeurs/ the Belgian artists' and authors' rights group), won a case against the Belgian ISP Scarlet ordering it to block users downloading copyrighted material.

The ISP appealed to the EU top court, and is now presenting an opinion by Pedro Cruz Villalón (picture), an advocate general of the European Court of Justice, saying that:

"The installation of the filtering and blocking system is a restriction on the right to respect for the privacy of communications and the right to protection of personal data, both of which are rights protected under the Charter of Fundamental Rights .. any system that met the Belgian Court's demands would be extensive and would block files that no court had said definitely infringed any copyright".

See the full opinion - here and The Register report - "Belgian ISP does not have to filter out copyright-infringing traffic" - here.