US Lawmakers Set Sights On P2P Programs 180
After the FTC sent letters to 100 organizations warning them that their data is being leaked on P2P networks — and now has requested detailed operational data from at least a subset of those organizations — it was pretty likely that anti-P2P legislation would get proposed. Two senators have introduced the P2P Cyber Protection and Informed User Act, which "...would prohibit peer-to-peer file-sharing programs from being installed without the informed consent of the authorized computer user. The legislation would also prohibit P2P software that would prevent the authorized user from blocking the installation of a P2P file-sharing program and/or disabling or removing any P2P file-sharing program. Software developers would be required to clearly inform users when their files are made available to other peer-to-peer users under legislation introduced Feb. 24 by Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and John Thune, R-S.D."
Re:Actually anti-spam/botnet? (Score:2, Funny)
Windows phone home
Ouch.
Re:Legislate a technical solution. (Score:5, Funny)
What's next, are we going to legislate against games being installed on workplace computers?
God, I hope so. I'll change my title to Computer, and file a lawsuit the next time my superiors start playing their little reindeer games.
Re:Actually anti-spam/botnet? (Score:5, Funny)
Most well-known P2P software is deliberately installed. And users are told where their shared files will be.
So how would P2P software be installed without consent?
Happens at work all the time. The users are not authorized to install P2P Software, but it happens. Managers get administrative rights to the computers under their controls, they get lazy with permissions and give their underlings local admins... And before you know it we get a few hundred calls to ISOHunt.
Then we drop in a couple canisters of Tear Gas, have the exits swarmed with armed IT Technicians, and shove the offenders into the back of our Van. Hellz yeah. ...
Sigh... Do you fantasize about your job?
Reminds me of casablanca (Score:5, Funny)
Senator: Im shocked...SHOCKED theres p2p sharing going on
Senator's Son: Hey dad I just finished updating your music collection
Senator: Great!
Could this be applied to Microsoft's WGA? (Score:1, Funny)
Or any other program that sends/receives data without the user's explicit consent? (Those unenforceable EULA's don't count!)
Such information may not be a "file" per se, but definition of a 'file' loses it's meaning when it is being transmitted.
Re:Why limit it to P2P programs? (Score:3, Funny)
Since the user is installing the software, isn't that consent? I don't know about *informed* consent, but that seems impossible to measure unless software distributors have to test the users to make sure they know what they are doing.
This [smbc-comics.com] seems to be an appropriate illustration of that point.
Re:Either I'm retarded (given) or this makes no se (Score:5, Funny)
Inept sharing is different from unauthorized access. Inept sharing means that other do have authorization to access the documents.
Yes, and with this law, we would finally make it illegal to be inept! Problem solved.
Re:Either I'm retarded (given) or this makes no se (Score:2, Funny)