Italian File-Sharers Fear Not!

Francesco Pizzetti, president of the official Italian body for Guaranteeing the Protection of Private Data, has ruled that Italian companies are not permitted to spy on individuals who engage in illegal file-sharing.

In the past, companies were allowed to obtain street addresses of file-sharers from their internet service providers in order to send registered letters to each individual.

Italian consumer rights groups protested this practice and a ruling was handed down preventing companies from tracking down people through IP addresses who were thought to be sharing files.

The consumer groups were happy with the ruling… but needless to say, Italy’s record labels are not so happy.