Slashdot Mirror
MPAA Requests Immunity to Commit Cyber-Crimes
The news has been buzzing around for the last couple of days that Representative Berman, whose palm has been crossed with silver by the entertainment industry, would introduce a bill permitting copyright holders to hack or DoS people allegedly distributing their works without permission. Well, the bill has been introduced - read it and weep. Although the bill wouldn't allow copyright owners to alter or delete files on your machine, they would be allowed to DoS you in essentially any other way. Let me restate that: the MPAA and RIAA are asking that they be allowed to perform what would otherwise be federal and state criminal acts and civil torts, and you will have essentially no remedy against them under any laws of the United States.
I don't agree with this policy to ANY extent, but if the limit of the damage they could do was isolated to ONLY the individual host that was causing the infraction, the problem would be minimal. However, this type of action will also affect the ISP, because they have to handle all the additional traffic. If the infringing files are located on a webhosting system, the MPAA would have to take out the entire system to do any good, and I can guarantee you that the owners of that system will NOT be pleased to find out that they can't even legally prosecute the entity that caused them to be down for two days.
My other thought, does this work both ways? If the MPAA so much as even slightly infringes on someone's copyright, we're allowed to DOS them back into the stoneage... right?
How are they connected to the internet? Or more importantly, what resources do they plan to use for these attacks? Unless they're REALLY huge, and I don't think they are, they will have to use an intermediate ISP of some type. That ISP will be FLOODED with abuse complaints. How long do you think they'll go on supporting this? Imagine that any ISP that connects the MPAA loses 50% of their other customers. How long before the MPAA is unable to get an internet connection at all?
-Restil
Play with my webcams and lights here
The MPAA and friends understand one thing and one thing only. Cash. Loads of it. If the public want to make a statement about what they are doing, it has to impact the cash flow.
We need to organize a "No Media" week protest. A single day won't make them blink. A week of no revenues will.
For one full week, spend no money on any form of MPAA supported media. No movies, no CD's, no DVD's, no video rentals. Not a single thin dime!
And to keep the argument clean, make sure that no media files that MPAA is concerned about gets sent down the Internet wires either. Basically, walk away from the entertainment industry.
...I say we draw up plans for what I call the "F.U. Class Slashdot Cannon" and prepare to aim it at the first IP that tries it. For testing purposes, I say we wipe out Planethollywood.com. It'll be just like Star Wars!
"Derp de derp."