Comments on: Mandatory Network Filtering to Prevent Copyright Infringement http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/ Where higher education and technology meet Wed, 09 May 2012 18:07:00 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: NewTeeVee D.C.’s P2P Summer Spectacle « http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/comment-page-1/#comment-9725 NewTeeVee D.C.’s P2P Summer Spectacle « Sat, 28 Jul 2007 19:00:14 +0000 http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/#comment-9725 [...] like somebody took Fahmy by his word: Senate majority leader Harry Reid introduced an amendment to the Higher Education Reauthorization Act late last week that included a filtering mandate for [...] [...] like somebody took Fahmy by his word: Senate majority leader Harry Reid introduced an amendment to the Higher Education Reauthorization Act late last week that included a filtering mandate for [...]

]]> By: Kevin Guidry http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/comment-page-1/#comment-9638 Kevin Guidry Fri, 27 Jul 2007 12:09:06 +0000 http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/#comment-9638 Alvin - Last year, the ResNet Applied Research Group (RARG) conducted a <a href="http://resnetsymposium.org/surveys/2006entertainmentsurvey.htm" rel="nofollow">survey of institutions employing legal services</a>. To the best of my knowledge, it's the only multi-institutional survey or research effort to look into this issue. Most of the most pressing questions - does it work? how well does it work? - remain unanswered as those are very difficult things to to measure. It's also worth checking out Illinois State University's <a href="http://www.digitalcitizen.ilstu.edu/" rel="nofollow">Digital Citizen Project</a> as they have done quite of bit of thinking about this issue. "Offering a legal alternative" is one of their recommended strategies for meeting this challenge. The following article from the NASPA Journal might also be useful and informative: Lane, J., & Healy, M. (2006). File sharing, napster, and institutional reponses: educative, developmental, or responsive policy? NASPA Journal, 42(4), 534–548. Personally, I understand the "but they're doing it anyway!" argument but I have difficulty using tuition money to pay for a service that is not educational in nature. That difficulty is compounded by the dearth of research in this area regarding the effectiveness of these services in changing students' behavior. If we believe the behavior is unethical (and it's certainly illegal) is the correct response to offer a service that may, in some ways, legitimatize the behavior? Although offering a legal service will provide us with an excellent talking point/defense when our legislators come knocking at our door, will it actually address the issue at hand? Alvin – Last year, the ResNet Applied Research Group (RARG) conducted a survey of institutions employing legal services. To the best of my knowledge, it’s the only multi-institutional survey or research effort to look into this issue. Most of the most pressing questions – does it work? how well does it work? – remain unanswered as those are very difficult things to to measure.

It’s also worth checking out Illinois State University’s Digital Citizen Project as they have done quite of bit of thinking about this issue. “Offering a legal alternative” is one of their recommended strategies for meeting this challenge. The following article from the NASPA Journal might also be useful and informative: Lane, J., & Healy, M. (2006). File sharing, napster, and institutional reponses: educative, developmental, or responsive policy? NASPA Journal, 42(4), 534–548.

Personally, I understand the “but they’re doing it anyway!” argument but I have difficulty using tuition money to pay for a service that is not educational in nature. That difficulty is compounded by the dearth of research in this area regarding the effectiveness of these services in changing students’ behavior. If we believe the behavior is unethical (and it’s certainly illegal) is the correct response to offer a service that may, in some ways, legitimatize the behavior? Although offering a legal service will provide us with an excellent talking point/defense when our legislators come knocking at our door, will it actually address the issue at hand?

]]> By: Alvin Cabatingan http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/comment-page-1/#comment-9630 Alvin Cabatingan Fri, 27 Jul 2007 07:05:58 +0000 http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/#comment-9630 I'm wondering if we should offer alternatives to illegal downloading? Instead of investing money into "managing" the illegal content should we invest in services that provide a legal alternative? On a side note, is there for anyone who utilized a service, what was the impact on your network and student behavior? I’m wondering if we should offer alternatives to illegal downloading? Instead of investing money into “managing” the illegal content should we invest in services that provide a legal alternative?

On a side note, is there for anyone who utilized a service, what was the impact on your network and student behavior?

]]> By: Kevin Guidry http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/comment-page-1/#comment-9435 Kevin Guidry Sun, 22 Jul 2007 19:06:52 +0000 http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/#comment-9435 The question is: ARE campuses "protecting and educating their students?" I don't think I agree wholeheartedly with the notion that we should be "protecting" students. There should definitely be a lot of space for experimentation and exploration but it's integral to the educational and maturation processes that there be consequences for actions. I'm also not sure if we're really doing much to educate our students about copyright. Does one 5 minute scare mongering session during orientation or a quiz before being allowed to register one's computer on the network really constitute "education?" That seems to me to be where we have gotten ourselves into trouble: we talk a good line but even if we're actually walking that line we're sure as hell not convincing anyone that we're doing that. That I, someone very close to and knowledgeable of this issue, am skeptical of our efforts should say something about how we're publicizing both our efforts and their effectiveness. That does not, however, excuse the feeble and misguided efforts of some of our legislators. For them to accept at face value the word of the copyright holders is foolish and negligent. For some of them to sneer at the very concept of academic freedom is indicative of a profound misunderstanding of higher education. For them to mandate the GAO to perform fundamentally flawed "research" to bolster their already-reached conclusions is disgusting and pathetic. I can understand that good, honest, and knowledgeable people can have very different points of view on this issue but the actions of some of our legislators are not those of good, honest, and knowledgeable people. And that, for me, raises larger and disturbing questions about the nature and makeup of representative democracy in modern America. The question is: ARE campuses “protecting and educating their students?” I don’t think I agree wholeheartedly with the notion that we should be “protecting” students. There should definitely be a lot of space for experimentation and exploration but it’s integral to the educational and maturation processes that there be consequences for actions. I’m also not sure if we’re really doing much to educate our students about copyright. Does one 5 minute scare mongering session during orientation or a quiz before being allowed to register one’s computer on the network really constitute “education?”

That seems to me to be where we have gotten ourselves into trouble: we talk a good line but even if we’re actually walking that line we’re sure as hell not convincing anyone that we’re doing that. That I, someone very close to and knowledgeable of this issue, am skeptical of our efforts should say something about how we’re publicizing both our efforts and their effectiveness.

That does not, however, excuse the feeble and misguided efforts of some of our legislators. For them to accept at face value the word of the copyright holders is foolish and negligent. For some of them to sneer at the very concept of academic freedom is indicative of a profound misunderstanding of higher education. For them to mandate the GAO to perform fundamentally flawed “research” to bolster their already-reached conclusions is disgusting and pathetic. I can understand that good, honest, and knowledgeable people can have very different points of view on this issue but the actions of some of our legislators are not those of good, honest, and knowledgeable people. And that, for me, raises larger and disturbing questions about the nature and makeup of representative democracy in modern America.

]]> By: bill http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/comment-page-1/#comment-9409 bill Sun, 22 Jul 2007 03:09:36 +0000 http://mistakengoal.com/blog/2007/07/21/mandatory-network-filtering-to-prevent-copyright-infringement/#comment-9409 I agree that the perfect shouldn't be the enemy of the good. But the technologies and methods that are out there for filtering the net aren't "good." If there was some magical way to shut down 70% of copyright infringement--without blocking out legal and legit transfers (which sometimes may be done without "permission"), that might be fine. A better idea, though, is for the content industry to maybe NOT try to retool the net to their liking and instead find better ways of putting content into people's hands when and how they want it. As for Reid, he's exactly the kind of sucker that these fly-by-night outfits that peddle their "solutions" to legislators and not technologists prey on. Campuses ought to be protecting and educating their students, not dragooned into becoming the content industry's personal police force. I agree that the perfect shouldn’t be the enemy of the good. But the technologies and methods that are out there for filtering the net aren’t “good.” If there was some magical way to shut down 70% of copyright infringement–without blocking out legal and legit transfers (which sometimes may be done without “permission”), that might be fine. A better idea, though, is for the content industry to maybe NOT try to retool the net to their liking and instead find better ways of putting content into people’s hands when and how they want it.

As for Reid, he’s exactly the kind of sucker that these fly-by-night outfits that peddle their “solutions” to legislators and not technologists prey on. Campuses ought to be protecting and educating their students, not dragooned into becoming the content industry’s personal police force.

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