Members of the U.S. Congress yesterday introduced the Author, Consumer, and Computer Owner Protection and Security (ACCOPS) Act of 2003, targeting for criminal prosecution the 60 million Americans engaged in Internet file sharing of music and movies. The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) today criticized the measure as an overbroad and misguided attack on peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing technology.

"More Americans are using file sharing software than voted for President Bush in 2000," said EFF Staff Attorney Jason Schultz. "Throwing the book at music swappers makes great political theater, but jailing 60 million music fans is not good business, nor does it put a single penny into the pockets of artists."

"Jailing people for file sharing is not the answer," noted EFF Senior Staff Attorney Fred von Lohmann. "Proponents of this bill are casting aside privacy, innovation, and even our personal liberty as collateral damage in their war against file sharing."

The ACCOPS bill was introduced in the House of Representatives today by Representatives Conyers, Berman, Schiff, Meehan, Wexler, and Weiner, all member of the House Judiciary Committee.