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MPAA and FBI Help To Train Swedish Police
Several readers let us know about a program in which a US FBI agent and employees of the MPAA led a seminar for Swedish police officers in methods of finding and stopping illegal downloading from the Internet. The writer at zeropaid.com says, "I bet the Swedish people are going to love to find out that the US government and a US lobbying group now have a hand in training their police personnel. So much for the notion of national sovereignty." Reader Oxygen provided a bit of translation from an article in Swedish on IDG.se: "According to Bertil Ramsell, responsible for the course, the purpose of the visit was to give the invited speakers a chance to explain to the students what their organization's purpose was. But in a report from the IIPA, the purpose was to educate students in anti-piracy."
Well, in the UK children who study computer science study a module that basically tells them how to comply with software licences, and that it is illegal to "copy software".
Do you think American FBI agents are the only people in the world who knows how to catch file sharers? Or that there is so little technical know-how in Swedish organizations that we really need Americans to help us? It is not, Swedish cops are just as good at using computers as American cops are (if not better). Maybe they could use some help in improving their interrogation techniques, but they sure as hell do not bring Russian FSB agents over. The real reason why they invite the FBI has nothing to do with training.
What the big fuss is about, is that the Swedish police is tacitly agreeing that it will follow FBI:s and MPAA:s anti-piracy policies and do their dirty work for them. Which means do everything they can to shut down thepiratebay.
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I think it is time the people realise that the government is an instrument of the PEOPLE, they work for and represent the PEOPLE. I think alot of people have forgotten this.
The only people that took away your rights was yourselves.
Wake up.
The swedish i know would raise hell because of that issue, its crooked perpetrators, anyone who participated and related government agencies.
There are no news around to that extent yet. We are waiting to see some swedish democracy in action.
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Actually it does, but only for a very short time.
"an experienced, industrious, ambitious, and often, quite often, picturesque liar" - Mark Twain
since when did I have any input into government policy? I get to vote once every three years and that is it.
NO, its the corporates that control things...like the mass media, party funding, and so on.
The same they did in Poland. There are three guys coming to your home: judge, cop and IT guy. If you don't allow them in they sign a warrant on spot and enter your premises. They even have certain pricelist, like 1 PLN for a mp3, 5 PLN for a film. Plus retail price for all illegal software. If you don't pay or cooperate - they just take your computer. And they have no problems with Win software and security (as if anybody have).
Is it a law? Or it's an abuse?
"an experienced, industrious, ambitious, and often, quite often, picturesque liar" - Mark Twain
IT's called having sane copyright laws, the U.S. should look into this "New form" of thought.
Swedish politicians are actually not funded directly by private interests, since we don't have personal elections in the true sense of the word. Although you are allowed to check your personal favourite on the ballot, your vote still counts mainly against the party of that candidate. While this reduces the need for candidates to fund their own election campaigns, it creates an interesting problem in my opinion since the political parties instead get their funding from the taxpayers. This means there's no way for me to avoid supporting people with ideas I really don't care for. :(
On the other hand, with a larger share of the popular vote, the pirate party would also get money from the taxpayers... I bet the MPA and RIAA would love that. :)
for that, whereas, as they say, a 'worldwide battle against terrorism' is going on at the same time ?
Very curious that, one important government agency can spare resources to spend for a PRIVATE organisation's whims, whereas there are army units deployed in iraq, afghanistan, pakistan is battling a lot of internation terrorist organisations trying to get roots in there, and terrorists are constantly trying to sneak into major western countries ?
Either they are screwing us over terrorist threat level, or they are screwing us over our taxes.
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I'm Swedish and I think like this:
A) Copying IS NOT stealing.
B) As long as the people that made the data that is being copied has a roof over their head and food to eat they can't complain too much. If they have more they should just STFU.
C) A pirate is not bad if he does not use copied content to make money. Pirates that profit is however an issue to talk about.
D) We live and die. If somebody copies a file in order to increase their life's value I say go ahead and let him. It's all about making people's life better, right...?
E) Piracy does absolutely not mean that nobody will go to the movies anymore or buy them. If it somehow does a new legal distribution system needs to be arranged.
F) If you can afford it and want to support the people behind it, and if you are not lazy at the time, go ahead and purchase the item in question.
That is just my brain however. Maybe it can be yours too?
I love how the RIAA and MPAA can buy access to the FBI, yet the millions of Americans (heck non-Americans as well) are second-class citizens in the eyes of the Dept of Justice. You mean to tell me the abating intellectual property theft in Europe is more pertinent of an issue than fighting "white collar" crime? Ask the victims of Corporate Criminals (Enron) or dirty politicians (Randy Cunningham) whether they want a 16 year old boy downloading music jailed, or someone who violates the American people's faith in their government? I bet if we looked deep enough, we would find Jack Abramoff's dirty little paw prints all over this!