University file sharing report
p2pnet.net News:- Technology administrators in 13 “major” US universities say they’ll act as music industry enforcers and have used, or plan to use, “both technological controls and campus-wide education campaigns to try to curtail file swapping”.
“Most computer administrators are aware of substantial file sharing on their campus networks,” says the Chronicle of Higher Education, reporting on a confidential US General Accounting Office study apparently requested by the movie studios and which is now before congress.
File Sharing: Selected Universities Report Taking Action to Reduce Copyright Infringement outlines the steps some colleges and universities are taking to prevent “illegal file sharing” and “contains few surprises, and it is unclear whether it will prompt lawmakers to alter existing federal policies,” says the story.
The GAO is congress’ investigative arm. Its study also discusses the role federal agencies play in “cracking down on online copyright infringement,” specifically mentioning Operation Fastlink and Operation Buccaneer, “a pair of federal law-enforcement programs created to combat online piracy of music, movies, and software”.
Auditors surveyed technology officers at 13 major universities and, “concluded that most computer administrators are aware of substantial file sharing on their campus networks,” says the Chronicle story.
“All of the administrators interviewed for the study said they had used or planned to use both technological controls and campus-wide education campaigns to try to curtail file swapping.”
Interestingly, “The programs [Fastlink and Buccaneer] have focused on the prosecution of organized, large-scale piracy networks, not on individual students, according to the report,” states the Chronicle.
In FastLink, FBI FBI agents raided schools in Arizona looking for digital movie and music files.
“Ted Stevens, a Republican Senator from Alaska, and Harry Reid, a Democratic Senator from Nevada, were among the legislators who requested the study,” says the Chronicle, continuing:
“Spokeswomen for both senators said they had little information about the report and did not know whether it would be used as evidence in any forthcoming committee hearings.”
The report “may have been commissioned at the urging of movie and record companies,”John C. Vaughn, executive vp of the Association of American Universities is quoyed as saying.
“The entertainment industry is trying to deal with copyright infringement on all fronts, both local and federal. I think they likely went to the committees and asked for a GAO report.”
The Chronicle story adds:
“Together with the industry’s recent lawsuits against people accused of piracy on campus networks, the study’s focus on college file sharing has left some college administrators feeling singled out, according to Mr. Vaughn. ‘Some universities started to get paranoid: ‘Why focus on us? It’s happening all over,’ he said. ‘I think part of the reason for that is that we are a describable universe in a way the Internet at large isn’t’.”
June 2nd, 2004 at 6:42 pm
You know, I understand that competing with “free” music is not a good thing for the music industry. My question is, why are they not making ANY reasonable attempt to offer an attractive alternative? iTunes and it’s clone’s offerings are limited (compared to P2P), over priced, DRM hobbled, and don’t sound as good. The ONLY advantage at this point is that you don’t have to buy the whole CD. Now the BMC (Big Music Cabal) is making noises about raising the prices substantially above the already too high 99 cents per track. The Nazi thug war the RIAA has waged against it’s customers appears to have driven more people to use P2P than it has stopped. Who wouldn’t lash out and fight back against an attack like that? I for one do not believe that music (& movies) that someone chooses to sell should be “free” for all on the net. That being said, the criminal invasion of privacy and blatant disregard of fair use rights the entertainment industry has perpetrated on the public with help and “blessings” of the federal government are simply unconscionable. I don’t know what the solution might be but I do know this, the direction things are going now is BAD. REALLY BAD. To think that on-line privacy, fair use rights, and freedom to exchange information on the internet could be so damaged, if not wiped out in the name of controlling copyright infringement for POP MUSIC and MOVIES is just unbelievable. WTF are people thinking? I don’t know how to wrap this up… Get a clue people! Stop this before even more damage is done. The entertainment industry is OUT OF CONTROL. Get the government out of the picture and let the market find it’s own balance. Okay, I’m done ranting. For now.
June 6th, 2004 at 5:45 am
“To think that on-line privacy, fair use rights, and freedom to exchange information on the internet could be so damaged, if not wiped out in the name of controlling copyright infringement for POP MUSIC and MOVIES is just unbelievable.”
couldnt have said it better myself.
would like to add:
It’s unbelievable that the RIAA et al have convinced goverment police agencies to participate in this. Sure their time could be better spent fighting CRIME and not rifling through some univesity students belongings looking for cdr’s and mp3’s on hard drives.