Senator Joe Biden (D-Del) wants the US Government to fund $1 billion in tax dollars to monitor peer-to-peer networks. Two years ago, Special Agent Flint Waters from the Wyoming Attorney General’s Office developed software dubbed “Operation Fair Play” to monitor Internet Crimes against Children. I hate child predators. I think they should have harsher penalties up to and including the death penalty. This is a noble cause however this software has now become “the” magic bullet for Hollywood.

Hollywood is losing money allegedly to illegal downloads and not what I think are really cost over runs on poor movie remakes and losing touch with mainstream America, but then again who am I? In a lot of ways I think producers of entertainment have forgotten the customer as well as the genius of outside the box creativity. That’s fodder for another blog someday. Hollywood has tried every trick known to man to try and stop these “illegal” downloads and this is just another trick. They have tried creating new formats that prevent “theft”. They have tried marketing to kill file sharing. For some reason these media moguls think that I should be forced to repurchase music every time technology changes formats. Heaven forbid I would be able to purchase music and take it with me where ever I go. For example I have purchased some music on 45, on cassette, on cd and now in mp3.

Is file sharing wrong? Yes. Have I done it? Yes. Have I purchased a lot of music because of it? Most Definitely!!! I bought more music during the Napster days than I have during any other period in my life. Will monitoring my internet usage stop the problem? No! Warning: I do not illegally download anything: including music, movies and software

I have a huge problem when Uncle Sam starts sniffing around in my stuff. And it’s called the 4th amendment. The fourth Amendment to the Constitution states:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

This amendment protects everyone from illegal searches and seizures. I am not a criminal. I have never been to jail. I have never been convicted of anything but I have a problem when government oversteps its bounds. I especially have a problem when it’s funded by Hollywood.

Our government hasn’t stopped meth use by limiting my ability to purchase over the counter allergy medicine. Although I got to do the perp walk recently to get over the counter meds. Our government hasn’t stopped crime by making more laws about guns. Monitoring and limiting internet usage will not stop illegal downloads.

We have all heard of the witch a hunt of the MP3 downloaders. The Recording Industry Association of America suing downloaders who may or may not be guilty of music theft. The RIAA and their deep pocket lawyers subpoena ISP documents and then send a settle or else letter.

We also have internet neutrality problems. We have Comcast playing god with bandwidth and not establishing guidelines as well as content filtering meaning taking traffic and prioritizing it and limiting it based on what it is. This means for IT people working from home over VP can be reduced or eliminated with out spending money on a business connection. Translation: Comcast can charge me 200 a month for the same service I have for 50 and the only difference is the ports I use. It’s the same thing just different flavor.

My point is this… We haven’t become safer because government monitors us more. Government regulation usually stifles innovation.

Labels: Big Government Watching, Killing the Internet, Net Neutral