RIAA and MPAA call for government mandated spyware on computers to fight piracy

By on Apr 15, 2010 at 1:28 PM
News April 15, 2010

big-brother

If you didn’t already think the people behind the RIAA and MPAA were insane, we’re positive that your opinion on them will change as soon as your read what the two associations have proposed in a recent letter to the Office of Intellectual Property Enforcement. Here are but some of the changes the two have asked for:

  • The installation of spyware on computers which would seek out and automatically delete illegally obtained media
  • Censorship of the internet which would block the transfer of illegal files
  • Giving border guards the authority to search one’s tech gear for illegal files
  • The lobbying of foreign governments to follow suit
  • Having the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security actively and swiftly enforcing copyright laws

Scary as hell, right?

[Via Boing Boing]

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116 Comments

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  • doug

    meh, i think were safe as long as long as we have john connor

  • Wil

    The GAO has the RIAA and MPAA’s number. Hopefully changes will come soon.

  • Steve

    Not a chance that any of this will ever come to fruition. If it does, I will move back to Germany.

    Censorship and “Big Brother” are legitimately scary ways to control the people which will ultimately lead to other issues.

  • Derrick

    Even if this passes (which I highly doubt) there’s always going to be a way to get around it.

    What really kills me is that the government would even entertain such bullsh*t! They really want to waste tax dollars on movies and mp3s? It doesn’t exactly look like artists, movie stars, and the RIAA and MPAA are hurting.

  • Counsel

    Let’s be honest… I think the two organizations are acting like thugs. However, they repesent their members and don’t do anything without the approval of their members.

    “Their actions drive you to illegally download” is like saying high prices are making you steal the things you want but can’t afford. That is the dumbest thing I gave heard-content isn’t a requirement for life.

    Remember, it is illegal downloading for a reason. If you do it, do you also walk out on bar tabs and steal gum at retail stores?

    If you ‘argue’ against their ‘stupid’ actions, you really shouldn’t turn a blind eye to yours…

    However, both of those organizations need to rethink their marketing. Remember, you should not buy, or illegally obtain, content from those sources you don’t support. If you steal it, why do you think the average non-stealing citizen will support either side? I’ll be sitting back thinking you are Isreal/Arab, catholic Irish/other Irish, hatfield/McCoy,…

    Vote me down, but “think” about the problem so you can find a solution rather than just contributing to making the problem worse …

  • Brandon

    Quote: Let’s be honest… I think the two organizations are acting like thugs. However, they repesent their members and don’t do anything without the approval of their members.

    Sort of like OUR representatives don’t do anything without our approval? These two organizations are acting like thugs. Plain and simple.

  • Joe

    This is about as ridiculous as the porn inndustry asking for bailout $$

    • Universal Cynic

      No…I’d actually find that a reasonable use of tax dollars.

      At least it would keep up sedated for the eventual global market crash…Remember Rome…Bread and Circus.

      Not to mention…at least porn is healthy…political propaganda and cultural marketing mind washing is complete filth. Porn causes people to have orgasmic relations with themselves which results in a lowering of stress hormone. Good movies/television/media results in catharsis.

      Bad, mind warping crap, results in people becoming mindless slaves to the media culture who attempts to rule with an iron remote.

      This is just an example of that. The more they lose their control due to the slowly emerging technical revolution of the latter part of generation Y & gen Z, the more they try and fight it.

      God they were pissed when they were forced by market forces to join itunes. Damn were they pissed. These companies are really simple. Although, the media may not tell you this, it’s quite obvious, they are near monopolies, or at the very least, oligopolies, and the networks and media powerhouses want one thing, to maintain their monopolistic status so they can keep controlling culture to make more money.

      I think Postman had it right, we sold our narrative to the box, and now we want it back.

      Now, I just hope my generation kicks the hog, and starts some good old Teddy trust busting…

      I wonder how NBC or ABC/Disney would like it if all of a sudden a large lawyer from the court just happened to come a knocking and say “Um, sorry, but here’s your cease and desist order from the American people. You are hereby order to break up your corporate empire for the betterment of humanity and the American people.” I’d like to see the exec’s face on that one…-blink- um…um…-jumps out window-

    • Universal Cynic

      *edit: At least it would keep us* sedated for the eventual global market crash…Remember Rome…Bread and Circus.

      I probably should also mention that the sales of good media is up like always, better than ever. The problem with the 21st century for the media monopolies is they are losing their power to force Americans and the world to eat their crap, because only a few of them can make good stuff.

      Well, that might explain why we stopped watching tv and started watching bittorrent…hmm…same crap but with no commercials…

  • http://www.sean-the-electrofreak.blogspot.com/ Electro

    The Fed isn’t putting anything on my computer that I don’t specifically authorize.

    Pretty sure that would be a violation of my 4th Amendment right preventing search of my property without a warrant.

    I highly doubt this will get anywhere. The Patriot Act allows for tapping of lines for counter-terroism measures, and even that is still highly controversial. Stealing movies isn’t a terrorist act, though the RIAA and MPAA has made statements implying that pirating movies supports terrorism. What a joke.

    They need to get real; back in the 80s we swapped cassettes and made copies. It’s now nearly 30 years later and the same thing is happening over the internet. They’re going to have to get used to it sooner or later…

    • Peter

      Cool dude. Just feel free to hand over your memory devices and laptops to the authorities every time you get stopped or cross a check point. Count me out.

  • Erik

    I actually don’t mind the searching of tech gear for illegal files… The rest is bullshit however – I wish them the best of luck trying to “censor the internet”.

    • Peter

      Cool dude. Just feel free to hand over your memory devices and laptops to the authorities every time you get stopped or cross a check point. Count me out.

  • preachaman87

    Lets be honest here people its obvious the Government is on board with this they want nothing more or nothing less than to be able to watch us when ever where we go and monitor are online use and what we look at what we download its all part of the sytem being set up world government it cant be done unless the people are under full government mandate which means what they say goes this country is loosing its freedom its obvious its no longer we the people its them the government and we can only sit back and watch it all happen and its not only in the US first one to pertain in big brother was the EU. MED. European/Mediteranian Union as well as Britian and England its going world wide and with todays technology it makes it easy for the government to do exactly what they want you ask any world politician world bankers they all have the same agenda as the UN and Nato and thats to bring governments together to control this planet just open your eyes you will see. thanks guys hope you release these things and if you think that monitoring through computers and data is the only step its only the begining positive id corp. use to be known as veri chip coperation is working with nations leaders and there governments to emplement manditory chipping in everyones id and that will be your passport your bank account your medical history everything you cant buy or sell with out it there goal that beginning stage sets up is for the begining of government control through bio metric chips in your right hand look it up its coming

    • Universal Cynic

      Preachaman87, I think you are making a slippery slope. Just because these organizations who desire nothing more than maintaining their monopolistic status as oligopolies, doesn’t mean the government is on their side. The government, in the truest sense of the word, has no side, except the American people. But, when we are not active in government, it allows politicians to get away with selling to the highest bidder. Do you think Congress would do anything, even remotely bad, or dishonest, or heck…stupid, if the American people had complete access, the reasoning skills to process it all, and was watching their every move, every bill, ever speech, etc., and the moment they did something stupid we were up their ass so fast it could make Velcro shine?

      I don’t think so. They’d be initially, scared so shitless that they’d stop doing everything, except what was the best course of action, and they’d have to be damn smart to justify it.

      Point is, we are the cause of this media crisis. We, the American People, have let these companies doop us, control us, and our governmental system through our disinterest and lack of action. It is not by our action that the government does things, it is because of our lack of action.

      Anyhow, I wouldn’t worry too much about being “chipped”. For one thing, unless it was designed specifically to your genetic structure (i.e. programed from birth) there is a high likelihood that you would reject the chip and your body would break it down, as it does all things that it doesn’t like.

      For all us geeks, we’d also just step into a strong EM field and fry the bastard. No one could go into an MRI because it would fry. If it was bioelectric, that even better, because the people who hate the idea the most, happen to be some of the brightest. We just develop a retrovirus that targets the chip.

      Government is just bureaucracy; bureaucracy simply tends towards larger organizational structure and power. Just a natural trend. Anyone with basic understanding of organizational structure knows that. I think people presume a mastermind, when what it really is, is a natural trend in the system that when left unregulated, causes really stupid shit to happen. Human nature I guess…

  • frank

    they can go suck a fat one this is bullshit who in the hell wants to wait fucking ages for a movie to come to blu-ray and then pay double of what a dvd cost just to watch it in fucking HD i fucking love to pirate movies and i won’t ever stop even if it gets me locked up

    • matthew

      I live in the uk and soon the digital economy act 2010 will be in place but I say fuck em Im downloading anyway hell I payed for a internet connection so techniqally I pay for my downloads aready
      fuck the MPAA and RIAA and fuck the british goverment

  • Brandon

    Wow! I’m one of the few that buys their music online. Because of them showing their ass I will never but another track again from this day forth… wake up RIAA/MPAA, the reason most people pirate is because you make it so difficult to do the right thing!

  • fed up

    I agree with Brandon. I would probably buy my music from Amazon (never Apple) or a decent .mp3 site if the mark up wasn’t egregiously high and they didn’t throw copyright protection at them. The whole digital music market is severely inflated. The cost of music stayed the same but by making them digital they no longer have to pay the cost to manufacture disks or to pay for slots in a retail outlet. They’re saving crap tons of money, but the prices remain artificially high. When your product doesn’t sell, you have to find ways to make it cheaper, not raise the price because your profits are diminishing. How much money could they save if they weren’t paying ridiculous attorney fees to get a measly grand off some broke kid? How about if they didn’t spend all that money trying to copy protect their files and disks? Cracking their software is not difficult or expensive to do. The only people they’re really hurting is the people that are actually doing what they’re told. Unfortunately, those are also the only people that are giving them money at all. Time for the music business to change their business model and read up on Adam Smith. That’s not likely to occur so I think it might be in my best interest to leave ChinAmerica before it gets any worse.

    Who wants to come with me to Canada?

  • JC

    I recommend the article “EFF and Doctorow on the Dystopian Future” for a more factually correct understanding of what’s going on.

  • Chuck Noris

    Oh my good you killed kenny, you biches
    Hello Chuck Noris

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