Battleangel

The industry apparently felt like the ends justified the means and disregarded the Personal Register Law. The Data Inspection Board however put them back in their place, and upheld that IP addresses are indeed subject to the Personal Register Law when they can, via the ISP, be linked to an actual person. Just like indeed phone numbers can be linked via phone books. The Personal Register Law also states clearly that only certain government agencies are allowed to make up such registries as criminal information databases.

Sweden’s anti-piracy group, Antipiratbyrån (APB), broke the personal data act in its hunt for illegal file-sharers, the country’s Data Inspection Board has ruled.

Last week APB’s lawyer, Henrik Pontén, told Computer Sweden that he does not believe an IP address could be classed as personal data.

Over the last year APB has reported hundreds of people to the police and has sent up to 2,000 emails a day to internet service providers notifying them of misuse. But according to the Data Inspection Board’s findings, the group had no right as a private enterprise to collect the information in the first place.

Source: The Local

Though it should be noted that Henrik Pontén is hardly a lawyer. A legal “expert” with some sort of legal degree at best. Unfortunately there will most likely be no sort of legal aftermath to this. APB will walk free and continue to operate outside of the law in various ways. At least the rules were upheld. To show that we don’t accept Americanized infringement on personal integrity just to protect the fantasy business model of archaic and oversized corporations.

I never though I’d see the day when the EU directive initiated Personal Register Law would actually do us any good.