Law firm chases innocent people over illegal downloads

A law firm in the UK is said to have been chasing innocent broadband users accusing them of downloading pornographic material, with thousands of people being affected

According to recent reports there are thousands of people that are being chased by a law firm in the UK for illegal downloading even though they are totally innocent. A huge number of broadband users are said to be receiving letters from the controversial law firm accusing them of allowing their computers and connections for illegal pornographic downloads. These people are being told that they have to pay for their illegal downloading, but one whistle-blower has said that not everyone that is being contacted is actually guilty.

One consumer who received and opened such a letter described how she felt. The woman, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It made me feel quite sick. And of course it created an awkward conversation with my husband. Fortunately we are very close and I knew I could believe him when he said he didn’t download the file. It was not pleasant, being told if you don’t pay up, you are going to be threatened with legal action.”

The law firm concerned is called ACS Law. The firm has contacted more than twenty thousand people accusing them of downloading pornographic material illegally, as well as music and movie downloads. It is thought that the company may have made around £1 million from this process even though many of those that paid the fines may have been innocent.

A former employee of the company said: “What I gradually became aware of was that some people were clearly not guilty. Some of them were, for instance, old ladies who never downloaded files – they just didn’t have security on their wireless connection. And some of the people ringing up came from pretty bad circumstances.”

Have you been accused of illegal downloads even though you are innocent? Let us know with your comments

Source – BBC