[LINK] RIAA pays price; new US attempt at net image control and ISP tracking

[Adam Todd]

At 09:24 AM 11/02/2007, Howard Lowndes wrote:
>The first is the first sign of justice that I have seen come out of the 
>US; the second and third are so indicative of just how ignorant 
>legislators are of the technologies involved.
>
>Jan Whitaker wrote:
>>Just stumbled across this on someone's blog:
>>  From bna.com's newsletter
>>RIAA ORDERED TO PAY FEES IN FAILED FILE SHARING SUIT
>>Debbie Foster, a single mom who was improperly sued by the RIAA back in 
>>2004 for file sharing, has won back her attorneys' fees. The decision 
>>today is one of the first in the country to award attorneys fees to a 
>>defendant in an RIAA case over music sharing on the Internet.
>><http://www.eff.org/deeplinks/archives/005114.php>

Well that's a good win for Joe (or Jane as the case is!)

Debbie has really fought a long, hard fight, not one she ever imagined 
she'd set out to fight in her life.  Well done!

>>ISP TRACKING LEGISLATION REINTRODUCED IN CONGRESS
>>All Internet service providers would have to keep track of what their 
>>customers are doing online to aid police in future investigations under 
>>legislation introduced Tuesday as part of a Republican "law and order 
>>agenda." Employees of any Internet provider who fail to store that 
>>information will face fines and prison terms of up to one year, the bill 
>>says. The U.S. Justice Department could order the companies to store 
>>those records forever.
>>http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6156948.html

I pity the Secretary who doesn't know anything about IP or Log files or how 
a server works.  <sigh>

Why punish the employee!

And does the Department of Justice intend paying for all the extra hard 
drive space for log files or the cost of backup burning and storage of the 
optical disks?

Noooo.  The consumer will pay through higher Internet fees.  But that's ok, 
it will catch peadophiles and terrorists every day and they will go to jail 
and the world (that's is the USA) will be a safer place for all.

>>PROPOSED SENATE BILL WOULD CREATE DATABASE OF ILLEGAL IMAGES
>>A forthcoming bill in the U.S. Senate lays the groundwork for a national 
>>database of illegal images that Internet service providers would use to 
>>automatically flag and report suspicious content to police.

Oh gawd.  MORE CPU power spent on intercepting users activities.

This sounds like the "New Echelon" with a difference.  Instead of the 
Governments having to foot the bill for the processing and storage, they 
will remove the cost to the business operator!

>>The proposal, which Sen. John McCain is planning to introduce today, also 
>>would require ISPs and perhaps some Web sites to alert the government of 
>>any illegal images of real or "cartoon" minors. Failure to do would be 
>>punished by criminal penalties including fines of up to $300,000.
>>http://news.com.com/2100-1028_3-6156976.html

Gee whizz.

The Government in the USA is really creating a problem for itself.  How on 
earth will film makers and activists trying to stop peadophilia and human 
trafficking of 10-16 year olds for sex, be able to promote and disseminate 
information to the public if it's all going to be illegal.

The more illegal you make something the more secret and hidden it becomes.

When you legalise things they become under demanded and not of interest.

Why does sex sell?"  Because so many people are "anti-sex."

Just look at Adultery in Australia.  Whilst it was illegal the divorce rate 
increased and it was common.  Since it's repeal, the divorce rate has 
dropped and Adultery no longer happens.  (We have infidelity instead.)