Delivered-To: dfarber+@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Date: Sat, 04 Oct 2003 00:56:03 -0400
From: Nick Bretagna <onemug@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Subject: Re: [Politech] Florida university locks out P2P users
To: Declan McCullagh <declan@xxxxxxxx>
Cc: dave@xxxxxxxxxx, jhall@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Declan McCullagh wrote:
Declan, Dave... presumably legitimate p2p users are being locked out
as well. They do exist. -Joe
<http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,60613,00.html>http://www.wired.com/news/digiwood/0,1412,60613,00.html
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Florida Dorms Lock Out P2P Users
By Katie Dean
02:00 AM Oct. 03, 2003 PT
(snip)
1) The obvious: OK, so, we have at least some college students reduced to
such sheep that they are now accepting the notion that someone else should
be able to *monitor* WHAT PROGRAMS ARE ON THEIR MACHINES, with limited
complaints? I fear for the future of this country. The thought of American
technology and resources under the direction of a Federal will not
constrained by its peoples is highly disturbing.
2) This is a clear presumption that ALL P-2-P usage is illicit and
improper. Nice to see the University presumes guilt over innocence with
utter impunity.
3) The University is clearly opening themselves up to a class-action
lawsuit here. There are plenty of free-speech implications. The University
has an excellent Law School. Sooner or later, they are going to step on
the toes of someone with the capacity to fight this and has the will to do so.
4) As per this:
> Students seemed resigned to abide by the program.
> "While file sharing is nice, it's not worth
> risking college or your future," Pavel said.
HA. Make you a bet -- within 3 years the file sharing at this campus is
back at or close (likely in excess), of current levels, as students find
ways around Icarus and the more talented ones create tools which obscure
the actual activity of the computer from such "Bigbrotherware". I would be
surprised to find that there are not already some such tools in existence,
but that they are not widespread knowledge yet -- after all, it takes time
for "newbies" to get stuff like this, since, as newbies, they don't expect
it to be out there. I would venture to suspect that Ms. Dean did not seek
out the technological literati for their take on this whole thing. If they
haven't defeated it already then they are working on ways to do so.
Let the RIAA and MPAA bask in their momentary illusions. Their current
"wins", in all venues, are the same as their wins over Napster. Brief in
appearance and totally unreal in factual terms.
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Nicholas Bretagna II
<mailto:afn41391@xxxxxxx>mailto:afn41391@xxxxxxx
"The only tyrant I accept in this
world is the still voice within"
- Mohandas K. Gandhi -