COMPUTER users who illegally download films and music will have their internet CUT OFF under plans unveiled yesterday.
Lord Mandelson ordered the crackdown weeks after meeting a US movie boss on holiday in Corfu. It sparked speculation that the business secretary had struck a deal to protect the industries.
Two months ago the Government shied away from banning "pirates" in its Digital Britain report - planning instead to issue warning letters and then slow down users' connections.
But yesterday, Lord Mandelson's ministry promised tougher rules, saying that those who swap copyrighted files will have their connection cut and be blacklisted.
The move angered campaigners who claim it undermines the Government's pledge of broadband access for all.
And it engulfed Lord Mandelson in a fresh "favours for friends" row.
He already faces questions over his Corfu meeting with Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi's son - days before the Lockerbie bomber was freed.
On the same trip the peer met Hollywood mogul David Geffen, a critic of illegal file-sharing.
Jim Killock, head of the Open Rights Group, said: "This U-turn seems to have taken place after a few private conversations."
Lord Mandelson ordered the crackdown weeks after meeting a US movie boss on holiday in Corfu. It sparked speculation that the business secretary had struck a deal to protect the industries.
Two months ago the Government shied away from banning "pirates" in its Digital Britain report - planning instead to issue warning letters and then slow down users' connections.
But yesterday, Lord Mandelson's ministry promised tougher rules, saying that those who swap copyrighted files will have their connection cut and be blacklisted.
The move angered campaigners who claim it undermines the Government's pledge of broadband access for all.
And it engulfed Lord Mandelson in a fresh "favours for friends" row.
He already faces questions over his Corfu meeting with Libyan dictator Colonel Gaddafi's son - days before the Lockerbie bomber was freed.
On the same trip the peer met Hollywood mogul David Geffen, a critic of illegal file-sharing.
Jim Killock, head of the Open Rights Group, said: "This U-turn seems to have taken place after a few private conversations."
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