Exclusive: BPP implements internet speed restrictions on popular student sites including Facebook and YouTube

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By Thomas Connelly on

No more Netflix and chill… in the library

BPP Law School has introduced new “speed and bandwidth restrictions” on its IT facilities in what looks like an attempt to stop students accessing sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

In an email fired off to students yesterday (pictured below), BPP revealed it was hindering access to a selected number of websites and services across all of its centres due to an “increase in online traffic”.

Popular social media sites like Facebook, Twitter and Weibo (a Chinese blogging page) have all made it onto BPP’s naughty list, while streaming services including YouTube, Spotify, Netflix, BBC iPlayer and Amazon Prime are also namechecked. Apple’s online storage facility iCloud will also be subject to restrictions.

The email BPP students received yesterday

Continuing, the email gently reminds wannabe lawyers that the law school’s internet facilities are provided to “support” their education, and that “essential sites and services will remain unaffected.”

Speaking to Legal Cheek, one current BPP student described the law school’s decision as “outrageous.” BPP declined to comment.

The new restrictions come almost a year after BPP decided to block students from viewing “harmful internet content” across its network. To justify the move, the law school cited new “legal” and “safeguarding” duties that all universities have to comply with. However, another source close to the law school suggested students might be simply “watching too much porn.”

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