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File Sharing — Harmful to Children and a Threat to National Security

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the root-of-all-evil dept.

jkrobin writes to mention that a recent report from the US Patent office calls peer-to-peer file sharing harmful to children and a threat to national security. "Interestingly, the report makes numerous references to RIAA and MPAA legal actions against file actions, as well as cites a 2005 Department of Homeland Security report that government workers had installed file-sharing programs that accessed classified information without their knowledge."

10 of 342 comments (clear)

  1. Stop the INSANITY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Stop the INSANITY!

    This is getting just stupid.

    We live in a MEDIA driven State of Fear.

    1. Re:Stop the INSANITY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      This is the smartest thing anyone has said about this so far!

      Americans are so easily manipulated. They have been so conditioned by advertising it's not even funny.

    2. Re:Stop the INSANITY! by eonlabs · · Score: 5, Insightful

      MPAA and RIAA with flagrant and excessive lawsuits directed at random are potentially harmful to children?

      Senators who don't keep file sharing software away from classified files (or don't actively restrict the software from sharing those files) are a security threat?

      hmmm...

      Wording could be important on this issue too.
      Maybe what we want is for people to RTFM on some of the software they install on their machines. Senators are being paid enough to have a work machine that does not have crap on it. This is a modern world, and if people being elected into office can't keep up with it, they shouldn't be elected. Once they are there, it's there responsibility not to screw up on something stupid like that.

      Someone else figure out the RIAA MPAA problem. They're beyond me.

      --
      I wouldn't consider the mad hatter mad. Just reality impaired. He sure can make a mean cup of tea.
    3. Re:Stop the INSANITY! by je+ne+sais+quoi · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Hell yeah! Just look at the other wars the proud sons and daughters of the U.S. have won:

      War on Drugs: Nobody uses those any more right? We're all clean and sober now, nevermind those pesky Californians and their "medicinal" marijuana. They're just tree-hugging hippies with glaucoma and don't count.

      War on Poverty: We cured that long ago, the incredible wages we pay our hard-working CEOs have been trickling down into the economy for some time and no one is poor any more and we all have health care and social security.

      War on Christmas: Won! Wal-Mart now uses the wholesome Merry Christmas instead of the godless heathen phrase "Happy Holidays". Santa Claus is no longer banned from spreading the gospel to children by teaching them the joys of rampant consumerism and owning a tickle-me-elmo.

      War on Terror: We invaded Iraq, so no more terrorists, right? A reliable source told me that the insurgency there is in the last throes. However, this is only if the democrats don't ruin it by not supporting our troops by refusing to allow any more to die in the middle of the non-civil war.

      --
      Gentlemen! You can't fight in here, this is the war room!
    4. Re:Stop the INSANITY! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

      MPAA and RIAA with flagrant and excessive lawsuits directed at random are potentially harmful to children?

      Yes, which is why they claim file sharing is harmful to children since they will be sued and therefore harmed. Similar legislation exists for marijuana. Most of the problems associated with marijuana are caused by the fact that it is illegal (gangs, prison, drug dealers, etc.). Make file sharing (or marijuana) legal and you eliminate the harm caused by both. Unfortunately the RIAA would not profit from this so it becomes a tough decision for them. They can profit and harm children, or not profit and not harm children. Hell, they may as well cut the middle man and just sell kiddie porn.

  2. Pencils -- Harmful to Children etc. by Wilson_6500 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The ordinary pencil is, in our modern America, a flagrant excess that cannot be tolerated. Pencils can be used to copy national secrets from one piece of paper to another, and leave no identifying marks of any kind on the documents that have been copied. Their sharp ends can be used to gouge; children can inflict grevious rubber burns upon one another using the rubber end. Perhaps most shocking of all, the pencil graphite is conductive and could be used in any number of explosive devices where conductive elements are required.

    The Pencil manufacturing concerns of America, however, are resolved to work with the U.S. government to mitigate this crisis. Henceforth, all pencil purchases are tracked with a unique REAL ID-coordinated identifier. Authorized use of pencils will require a tiny microchip implanted under the skin of the right hand. A left-handed version of the chip is expected to be available before 2020--until then, pencil-using left-handed Americans will have to make the sacrifice of writing less legibly until the chip is available.

    Wow, I'm really bored today.

  3. Security of what? by LoudMusic · · Score: 5, Insightful

    File Sharing -- Harmful to Children and a Threat to National Security

    [snip] ... Homeland Security report that government workers had installed file-sharing programs that accessed classified information without their knowledge. File sharing? Sounds like ignorance about security is the real threat. And they're in charge of security? We are so fucked.
    --
    No sig for you. YOU GET NO SIG!
    1. Re:Security of what? by synjck · · Score: 5, Insightful

      it's analogous to say "guns are a threat to national security" or "airplanes are a threat to national security."

      as always, personal responsibility is brushed aside in the name of hype.

  4. Not the real issue.... by cyberbob2351 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    file-sharing software could be to blame for government workers who expose sensitive data and jeopardize national security after downloading free music on the job

    It sounds like the network administrators in said "governmental offices" should take the precautions neccessary to police the bandwidth. Furthermore, any environment in which said p2p applications are capable of leaking any private information need to be under closer scrutiny.

    Don't blame the p2p networks for the actions and negligence of those in control of their own computer infrastructure.

    A decade ago, the idea that copyright infringement could become a threat to national security would have seemed implausible. Now, it is a sad reality.

    Since when is copyright infringement, and not massively-propagating worms and keyloggers, the problem for national security. The latter causes FAR more breeches of personal identity information and credentials.

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    for sale
    I'm a self-modifying sig virus
  5. Re:Whereas: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    > Software merely takes a generalized machine and turns it
    > into a specialized machine. Clearly a unique specialized
    > machine should be patentable.

    No the general purpose machine is the patentable invention. Specific information (ie: software) should be protected by copyright. Pure software is not patentable and all software is pure software.