Ireland's High Court has ruled that a settlement reached between the Internet service provider Eircom and four major record labels does not breach data protection laws, reports OUT-LAW.COM. Under the settlement, Eircom agreed to disconnect Internet users suspected of copyright infringement if, after two written warnings, the suspected infringements endured. Data Protection Commissioner Billy Hawkes had raised questions about whether the monitoring of users' activities and use of users' Internet protocol (IP) addresses broke privacy laws. The High Court determined the deal does not violate data protection laws because the information processed in such instances does not count as "personal data."

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