No with Black

A protest against Section 92a, an amendment to New Zealand’s copyright law due to come into force from February 28*, has resulted in an “internet blackout”, part of a political protest against the law that has angered internet campaigners. Section 92a tells internet service providers that they “must adopt and reasonably implement a policy that provides for termination” of accounts used by anyone deemed a “repeat infringer” — regardless of whether the person has been convicted of a crime or not. Internet users accused of copyright infringement can have their internet connections cut legally without a trial. As part of the protest, New Zealand’s Creative Freedom Foundation is asking internet users to replace their photos and icons with blank spaces to give people an idea of what the internet could look like under the new regime. Director of the CFF Bronwyn Holloway-Smith says thousands of New Zealand musicians and artists have signed a petition against the law, and that the public needs to voice its frustration. “Treating fans as guilty until proven innocent isn’t what artists want done in their name and many see that as being damaging to creative industries,” Holloway-Smith says.