File sharing needs regulation, it is a matter of national security

[Modelworks]

I think a better solution is to put an end to the idiots that install non approved software on company or government computers. Make it a felony to install any p2p software on a computer without permission and the problem is solved.


http://www.tgdaily.com/content/view/43428/108/

Washington (DC) - The US House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform has claimed that P2P network sharing is responsible for "jeopardizing" national security.

"At any time your computer is connected to the Internet, other computer users with similar software could simply search your hard drive and copy unprotected files. Unfortunately, that is the sad reality for many unsuspecting computer users," explained Chairman Edolphus Towns. "Peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing software like LimeWire works in just that way. Most people who use P2P software do it to download music and movies over the Internet. And most people who use it are totally unaware that they may expose some of the most private files on their computers to being downloaded by others."

According to Towns, Committee staff tasked with analyzing LimeWire recently identified copyrighted music and movies, federal tax returns, government files, medical records and other sensitive documents, including:

* The Social Security numbers and family information for every master sergeant in the Army.
* The medical records of some 24,000 patients of a Texas hospital.
* FBI files, including surveillance photos of an alleged Mafia hit man.
* The safe house location for the First Family.

The Chairman also criticized the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for its "see-no-evil, hear-no-evil" approach to file sharing and recommended that the Obama administration put an end to the the file-sharing industry's "self-regulation."

 

[Crusty]

Making it a felony to install any piece of software is blasphemous.

How about the IT departments get their heads out of their asses and do something about these problems?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Crusty
Making it a felony to install any piece of software is blasphemous.

How about the IT departments get their heads out of their asses and do something about these problems?

Nonsense - that would mean taking responsibility for something! :Q

gotta have the guv'ment fix it!

 

[MotF Bane]

Yes, let's eliminate a superior file transfer technology completely, because some idiots put it on computers they shouldn't have.

 

[sdifox]

lol, just because you slapped a label of national security on something doesn't make it so.


PS, it is time to look into the finances of said chairman. Me think he be in RIAA's pocket.

 

[Modelworks]

While it isn't done with most government offices, I can tell you that in secret or top secret clearance areas that if you get caught doing anything to the computers that is not in the rules you are prosecuted. I saw a secretary get yelled at and nearly fired for changing the desktop background to her kids pictures. Extreme maybe, but she knew she was not allowed to make any changes to the system.

 

[IronWing]

The promise of the web is that anyone with a computer and a connection should be able to set up a server and offer information to whomever wants it. This is the true meaning of peer-to-peer. The media corporations with the happy assistance of the ISPs have reduced the meaning of peer-to-peer to file stealing. Internet freedom is being destroyed by corporate greed.

 

[skace]

They can't squash file sharing. Cannot, cannot, cannot, cannot, cannot, cannot. It's just that simple. And that shit is probably not on limewire because someone stole it from an unsuspecting machine. It's probably there because someone got it through other methods, hacking, real life exchange, etc and then decided to share it on limewire.