Illegal downloaders face net ban

Surfers illegally downloading copyrighted material from the internet will have their connections cut under new legislative proposals being drafted by the UK government.

The proposed Green Paper, which the Government is due to unveil next week, will require ISPs to take action against the estimated six million users a year who access pirated material.

The law is expected to propose a 'three-strike' system, similar to that already in place in the US and France.

Users suspected of illegally downloading content will first receive a warning email from their service provider.

Should they continue to download copyrighted content, they will receive a suspension from the service and any if caught a third time, they will have their internet access completely cut off.

It is unclear whether those customers who have running contracts with their service provider will have to continue to pay for the service or if the contract will be terminated early.

There is also no word on if these banned users will be blacklisted by other ISPs, or if they could simply sign up to another service provider.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport said: "Early drafts of our creative economy programme document were circulated to stakeholders for comment.

"The content and proposals for the strategy have been significantly developed since then and a comprehensive plan to bolster the UK's creative industries will be published shortly. We will not comment on the content of the leaked document. "

Although the full details are not yet available, the news is already causing consternation among privacy advocacy groups.

It has also raised concerns about how the law could be effectively implemented, particularly in light of the growing use of mobile internet technologies such as WiMax and 3G data services.