A report has caused controversy by suggesting operating systems, such as those from Microsoft, Apple, and Google, should enforce copyright laws by blocking pirated downloads.
The report, produced by Sweden's Black Market Watch and the Global Initiative against Transnational Organized Crime, produced several recommendations, and one of which called for companies that own the major operating system to take action against pirated content.
"The producers of operating systems should be encouraged, or regulated, for example, to block downloads of copyright infringing material," the report concludes.
Interestingly, the report referenced an unsubstantiated rumor from last year in which a clause in Windows 10's user agreement suggested Microsoft reserved the right to "kill" pirated downloads and software. At that time, it was also revealed Microsoft had been sending some user information to an anti-piracy firm. Despite Microsoft confirming later that the information sharing was due to the OS's anti-phishing protection and unrelated to anti-piracy actions, these revelations caused some torrent trackers to ban Windows 10 users temporarily.
This series of events, the report says, is precisely why an operating system level block of pirated downloads could be effective.
The same report also chastised ISPs for profiting from piracy, a claim that has already been rejected by some ISPs in Sweden. One local ISP, Bahnhof, has rejected the claims as "pure nonsense", and warned that ISPs will not become "copyright cops" willingly.
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