Security → Is this the best security solution?

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»The Induce Act

No

In two simple words hell no!

No! Just another stupid band-aid attempt at a solution.

This congressional initiative only serves to highlight how utterly ignorant our legislature really is.

P2P / File Sharing "networks" cannot be stopped. People are going to find ways to move files around freely no matter what congress thinks it can do about it.

The heterogeneous nature of the internet prohibits the government from stopping any application activity on a permanent basis. This is nothing more than grandstanding on behalf of the commercial interests who have paid well to "get something done" about piracy.

While I agree that software/music piracy is a genuinely bad thing, it's overly naive to think that a piece of paper can prevent it from happening, no matter how many Senators sign it.

Regards,
Darren

How would that be different from banning VCR's, or audio tape recorders?

Pretty soon they'll want to ban anything that could be used for an "illegal" purpose which is well just about everything on earth. Might as well start banning computers, cameras, raid roach spray, pencils, they can all be used illegally so why not? Bah stupid stupid government officials. Why not go ahead and turn us into Big Brother state and forced labor camps while they're at it.

"Why not go ahead and turn us into Big Brother state and forced labor camps while they're at it"

What makes you think there isn't a big brother watchin "u". I find government so useless.......never done anything worth crap for me.

The best solution? No! But they have to follow up the millennium copyright act with something.

No...but I would agree that P2P networks need to be better monitored and protected against viruses and malware. If the P2P network administrators would take the time to install enterprise wide as well as individual desktop wide anti-virus and anti-trojan; and if members of P2P networks used better common sense with safe hexing, then there would be less problems to deal with...but this is all fantasy, since most P2P networks are sess pools filled with crap.

But that's the slippery slope. Scan for antiviruses? Check. Scan for trojans? Check. Scan for worms? Check. Scan for spyware? Uh... check. Scan for spam? Sure, check. Scan for child porn? Absolutely, check. Scan for 17-year-old porn? Well, uh, check. Scan for terrorist materials? I guess, check. Scan for the word f___? Well, uh, ah... Scan for Britney's latest single? But, er, ah...

Of course what I'm advocating is that P2P networks must operate as close to "common carrier" status as they can to avoid a whole mess of trouble and responsibility that would otherwise doom them. But what the heck do I care -- these damned companies are almost singlehandedly responsible for the spyware epidemic!

-- B

Hatch doesn't want to ban P2P software for security. He wants to ban them because the record companies gave him money -- or more precisely -- the record company lobby groups gave money to "his campaign".

Also people who use P2P tend to be young, and young people tend not to vote, so politically the downside from the opposition to this is light.

If Hatch was concerned about security he'd be looking at security and lifesafety issues, instead of being preoccupied with the copyright money issue.

It shows what his values are and where his priorities lie. Hatch is employed by the people of Utah, and if you happen to live in Utah, you can judge his work on based on those values, when he is up for election.

Is he working for you, or is he taking his salary and working for somebody else? What would your boss do if you did that?

There are lots of politicians like this. Just some are more transparent than others.

said by mrgeek:

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Yippee! In the land of freedom, liberty and free speach they want to decide by the goverment whats "right information" and what is "wrong information" being distributed. ROTFLOL!

Thank god I live if Finland, we dont give a drek about stupid things like that even if they become as law in US.

Of course, Finland doesn't publish or produce anything that could be deemed intellectual property, either.

said by ctrip:

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Of course, Finland doesn't publish or produce anything that could be deemed intellectual property, either.

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LOL! But you must admit, that that "liberty, freedom and democracy" is just plain BS. Really. Nobody would even dare to propose legistlations like that in Finland, not to mention try to put them up and running!

Very well said, keith.

And Markus, it kind of depends on who's in power at the time. Believe it or not, a lot things are still decided locally, for better or worse.

We in the US will continue to proudly split infinitives; I mean to proudly lay claim to individual liberty as a founding principle, no matter how badly it may get mangled by any particular official or administration at any level. The nice thing about our constitution, which if you'll remember was, shall we say, rather novel at the time, is that it guarantees us at least a CHANCE to change things around every few years.

-- B