BBC iPlayer
loophole closes as licence required for catchup TV
A BBC source said: “There are no plans for people to enter
their licence details into BBC iPlayer at present because TV Licensing has a
range of enforcement techniques they’ll continue to use. We’ll look at how
effective these are before considering whether an extra verification system is
required.”Previous reports that the BBC would begin snooping on Wi-Fi connections
to check whether people are using iPlayer are understood to be wide of the
mark. However, neither the BBC nor TV Licensing will reveal details of how they
plan to detect lawbreakers.
A TV Licensing spokesman said: “We know the vast majority of
people are law-abiding and would anticipate those who need a licence for the
first time will buy one. We have a range of enforcement techniques which we use
and these have already allowed us to prosecute people who watch on a range of
devices, not just TVs.”Monitoring Wi-Fi connections en masse would be expensive
and potentially illegal. The BBC is entitled to use powers under the Regulation
of Investigatory Powers Act to carry out surveillance on people it suspects of
using BBC services without a licence. However, this is more likely to take the
form of surveilling homes to view or hear people watching BBC content.
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