86-Year-Old Grandma Accused of Pirating Metro 2033

Some time ago, Canada introduced new guidelines for internet service providers to follow which protects against copyright infringement. Internet users believed to be illegally downloading content can receive letters demanding a hefty fee for the damages involved. Canada’s notice and notice initiative is designed to discourage people from pirating through harsh penalties which tend to result in settlements. Unbelievably, a recent case emerged which surrounded Christine McMillian from Ontario who was accused of downloading the video game, Metro 2033. Without trying to sound a little ageist, this seems unlikely considering she’s 86-years-old. A letter was sent to her address from the anti-piracy group Canipre who threatened the 86-year-old with a $5000 fine. In an interview with Go Public, Christine McMillion said:

“They didn’t tell me how much I owed, they only told me that if I didn’t comply, I would be liable for a fine of up to $5,000 and I could pay immediately by entering my credit card number,”

She also went on to criticise the government’s policy and argued:

“That somebody can threaten you over the internet … that to me is intimidation and I can’t believe the government would support such action,”

Tracking internet behaviour via an IP address isn’t a sensible move because criminals and other users can deploy someone else’s IP to avoid detection. As a result, people can be blissfully unaware that their connection has been hijacked and faced with horrendous consequences they shouldn’t be liable for. This is why similar policies in the past haven’t worked and Canada needs to drop this asinine anti-piracy measure as a matter of urgency.