Dare Violate a Copyright in Hong Kong? A Boy Scout May Be Watching Online

The Hong Kong government has unveiled a plan to use 200,000 young people from organizations like the Boy Scouts and the Girl Guides as watchdogs for internet copyright infringement. Many civil liberties advocates question the use of teenagers in state-sponsored law enforcement. While Hong Kong authorities claim that the program encourages good citizenship among a population with a high rate of internet piracy, others compare it youth-informant programs from China’s Cultural Revolution. The Hong Kong customs agency has no plans for legal action against those who download copyrighted material, yet prescribes criminal penalties for those who provide copyrighted materials to others via file-sharing software. The entertainment industry applauds the program, while other nations express interest in a youth patrol for piracy. –YaleGlobal