p2pnet - rss feed: File sharers auto-tracked in France
p2pnet.net news:- In France, record companies can now automatically track p2p users who share more than 50 files within 24 hours, “and keep their records for further legal proceedings,” says the country’s Council of State.
“The decision comes as a blow to the French National Commission for Data protection and the Liberties who ruled in the fall of 2005 that automatic surveillance of P2P networks violates local privacy laws,” says P2P Blog.
But French file sharers aren’t taking it lying down. They’ve launched 51 fichiers (51 files) as a protest against the “systematic criminalisation of the Peer-to-peer networks and their users”.
French Net users who want to speak against the ruling should, “share at least 51 files that are freely distributable (e.g.: published under a Creative Commons license, or that are public domain) and keep them on the P2P system until ’something happens’,” says the site.
Following an article on Scoopeo, and comments from “other channels,” it looks like the auto-monitoring would be based on entries on a list of 10,000 files, Clubic states on the protest page.
“That means that, most probably, if you are fan of Johnny Halliday and that you download his music, you have more chance … than if you are fan of a dark regional group of rock’n'roll-garage,” says the post.
Only files which can be shared and distributed legally should be used, emphasises 51 files, also pointing out the limit can easily be circumvented because p2p file sharing applications can be pre-set to automatically limit files to 49.
Meanwhile, there are all kinds of questions relating to the auto-monitoring process, 51 files points out. Exactly what’s included on the list? - for example. By what means are files checked? By name or by some kind of signature?
Stay tuned.
Also See:
P2P Blog - France wants to track file sharers - users fight back with civil disobedience, May 29, 2007
If your Net access is blocked by government restrictions, try Psiphon from the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto’s Munk Centre for International Studies. Go here for the official download, here for the p2pnet download, and here for details. And if you’re Chinese and you’re looking for a way to access independent Internet news sources, try Freegate, the DIT program written to help Chinese citizens circumvent web site blocking outside of China. Download it here.
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Tired of being treated like a criminal? They depend on you, not the other way around. Don’t buy their ‘product’. Do bug your local politicians. Use emails, snail-mail, phone calls, faxes, IM, stop them in the street, blog. And if you’re into organizing, organize petitions, organize demonstrations and then turn up on your local political rep’s doorstep, making sure you’ve contacted your local tv/radio station/newspaper in advance. Don’t just complain. Do something!
