MPAA Releases Software For Parents

SnowWolf2003 writes "The MPAA have released their Parent File Scan tool, which 'helps consumers check whether their computers have peer-to-peer software and potentially infringing copies of motion pictures and other copyrighted material'. According to the MPAA, the software does not report any data back to the MPAA. However, users have noted that the software is not accurate; 'tagging' virtually every audio or video file it finds based on file extensions."

Comments

Parents Should Be Able To Get This Information

[teiresias]

If a parent is not active enough in their child's life or like my parents, not technical enough to understand what files are what, this tool does very little.

Parent Not Active - The parent either doesn't care what their child does on the computer/internet or at least does not monitor it. Indeed, that parent might not see this as doing something wrong and in fact do it themselves.

Non-technical Parent - My parents know about movie pirating and that it can be be done on the computer. However, I could also leave a new copy of a main stream movie on the desktop with little worry.

Personally, I think this is a sneaky (abeit overt) way of allowing the MPAA's software to take a peak in your drawers. Parents, if you feel like this is information you can't optain by talking to your kids, than them having some movies on their computer really isn't the problem.

Re:Programmed Entirely In Mom's Basement

[saforrest]

Notify Ministry of Peace? (Y/y):

Nice, but it should be the Ministry of Love.

The MPAA is worthless for parents in so many ways

[ianscot]

Let's hear it for the MPAA and its efforts to make things easier for parents.

For example, their ratings system does a graet job of giving "Billy Elliott" and "Waiting for Guffman" R ratings, because goodness knows no 13-year-old has ever hear bad language or encountered tacitly gay characters. Violence like Daredevil's "paperclips stabbing your throat until you choke to death" gets a PG-13 -- and so does a fantastic family movie like "Whale Rider" -- because there was apparently a bong in the background in one scene.

We're ever so eager to hear their parenting advice in other areas.

Handy form to notify FBI?

[hoggoth]

Does it include a handy form you can fill out to turn your kids in to the FBI?

And when you turn them in, and the MPAA sues your kids, do they indemnify the parents from the legal fees and penalties? Just send those subversive kids to prison where they belong.

I bet this is a big hit with concerned parents everywhere.