Sarkozy move to punish illegal downloaders sparks liberties row

The French government has been accused of “Big Brother” tactics over an anti-piracy bill which aims to punish people who repeatedly illegally download music and films by cutting off their internet access for up to a year.The proposed law, which will be debated in parliament this week, will create a new state surveillance agency to monitor internet users online.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/mar/11/france-internet-anti-piracyFrance proposes disconnecting Web music pirates
A French bill that proposes disconnecting users from the Internet if they download music or video files illegally drew criticism on Tuesday from consumer groups and opposition legislators.The government wants to stem the flow of songs and films circulating freely on the Internet, depriving artists of revenues and threatening the survival of production companies.
http://in.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idINIndia-38441820090310
http://uk.reuters.com/article/internetNews/idUKTRE5294Z620090310French anti-P2P law toughest in the world
The French attempt to pass the world’s toughest “graduated response” law against P2P file-sharers has been en retard for months. But the negotiations are finally over, the “Création et Internet” bill has been drafted, and today it finally came up before the National Assembly for debate. Despite furious opposition, the bill could well pass soon, laying down severe penalties for “not securing one’s Internet connection” and forcing public WiFi operators to allow access only to a “white list” of acceptable sites. And all this for one industry.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/03/french-anti-p2p-law-toughest-in-the-world.ars