The BBC have caused a bit of a stir by labeling anyone using encryption in the form of a VPN a “pirate”.

On that basis, almost anyone who works from home regularly – and whose laptop is likely to be backed up over a VPN as a result – is a potential pirate. Small offices with just a few staff in also often use broadband connections with VPNs back to HQ.

Snooping for heavy users of encrypted traffic will also pick up those using services such as Tor, to evade state surveillance and blocking. Such tools tend to be used more heavily in more oppressive regimes, but a more oppressive internet regime is exactly what the BBC is encouraging with this “ISPs should spy on users” approach.

Some may think that I’m being a bit harsh on old Auntie, but this isn’t the first time they’ve missed a trick when it comes to online issues. There’s the time they funded online organised crime. The ongoing campaign against online pharmacies, a lifeline for many trans people who are denied or delayed treatment by the NHS. Oh, and they’re a member of an organisation that refers to Harry Potter as “Adult Media”.

Media outlets reporting things badly is troublesome enough but still remains part of day-to-day life. It worries me when the same poor reporting spills over into official submissions to governments.