One of the EU’s own officials has called for it to scale back its plans to spy on people’s use of the internet.
The grandly titled European Data Protection Supervisor says that an idea fo monitor users’ web behaviour and collect IP addresses amounts to “an interference with their rights to respect for their private life and their correspondance”.
A good thing too. The EU tries at every turn to extend its tentacles into our private life, whether in the name of anti-terrorism or, in this case, anti-conterfeiting.
The EU wants a “three strikes and you’re out” policy on people who download illegally – by disconnecting their internet access – and that’s why they want copyright holders to be able to monitor internet users.
Let’s hope the European Data Protection Supervisor is listened to.
Otherwise Big Brother could be closer than you think.
Ooh, Brussels! 
Actually, the EP is resisting “3-strikes-and-you’re-out”. It’s being a counterweight to national (here, French)initiatives, see here:
http://www.laquadrature.net/wiki/Story_of_Anti-3-Strikes_Amendments
No here’s the hard question : Was that an actually binding law ? An whatever that is, how long before Sarkozy (or his successor) is brought into line by threatenning to sanction France ?