House IP Leader Endorses P2P Blocking

Technical Writing Geek points out an Ars Technica report on comments from Representative Howard Coble (R-NC), who sits on the House Subcommittee on Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property. In a recent editorial, Coble attempts to discourage P2P file sharing among young people, and praises Ohio University for its ban on P2P applications last year. Coble also suggests that identity theft is a great danger from file sharing. Public Knowledge is running a similar analysis, which argues against the main points from the editorial.

ID Theft?

[calebt3]

Excuse me? Aside from the standard malware risks and stupid users, how is P2P an ID Theft risk?

Many Don't Seem to Understand

[Apple Acolyte]

Let me preface this by pointing out I'm a generally conservative young Republican. We're in a generational battle with our parents and grandparents and (more directly) the politicians that come from them over redistribution of our wealth and misappropriation of our technology. They want to put the screws to young people to maintain control, whether it's economic control (in the case of robbing the young to pay the old Social Security and Medicare), or entertainment control (draconian legislation in favor of the media cartels), or electronic expression control (clamping down on the freedoms enjoyed currently online). And we'll continue to lose this battle unless there's a shift in the political paradigms over these issues.

Re:ID Theft?

[Anonymous Coward]

Here's a fun hobby of mine. Open up Limewire, select documents, search for "resume.doc". Watch in shock and awe at the stupidity of people as resume after resume appears.

Then have more fun. Right click on one, browse host.

Watch in amazement as you now have access to their pictures, word documents, cookies, anything you might find interesting. All because they're too stupid to properly define the Sharing folders when they started using Limewire.

An ID theft's wet dream, all thanks to P2P.

Why stop there?

[nurb432]

Why not just ban IP communications altogether?

Or write-able drives? Or photocopiers? Or word of mouth... Or books.. Hell, lets ban knowledge.

Re:just like guns

[MBGMorden]

Well as someone who is heavily into target shooting (I fire at least 5,000 rounds per year in a non-violent manner), I'd have to say you're wrong.