Big Brother

By: C. Jones

Media pirates around the world quiver in their computer chairs at the mere mention of the MPAA or RIAA and with good reason, since 2005 the two organizations have been awarded over $2 million in damages from individuals who downloaded files illegally. These two media consortium are known for going for the jugular of the "everyman" and not caring if it causes some bad press. And if the suggestions they have made to the Office of Intellectual Property Enforcement are enacted, they will have a slew of new weapons to add to their arsenal. The most invasive and therefore frightening of these provisions calls for "anti-infringement" software to be installed on all home computers. Though the software is said to be voluntary, it is just the first step on the road to mandatory file sweeps and even more strict Internet monitoring. Also included in this ludicrous list of demands:

• Customs officers "educating" the traveling public about the dangers of piracy.
• Persuading other countries to follow in our tyrannical foot steps.
• Law enforcement treating movie premiers with high priority to prevent copyright theft.

As if the fact that the RIAA and MPAA want to violate your privacy worse than any prom date or doctor ever did wasn't bad enough, the true irony lies in the fact that this comes on the heels of yet another report on the often exaggerated and inaccurate statistics that the two groups cite to show the affect that piracy has on the industry that each represents. These numbers have been called into question time and time again, the most recent claim that the statistics are crap comes from the Government Accountability Office. Not only does the GAO report state that piracy does little to no damage to the media industry, it even makes the claim that piracy can be beneficial because pirates purchase more media. For all the pedestal-sitters and high-horse-riders out there who think that the pirates are simply getting what they deserve, realize that everyone has at least one downloaded song on their computer and if these provisions pass these two titans of the modern age will come after everyone from the hackers to the housewives. They've shown how little public opinion matters to them, it's 1984 and Big Brother is always watching.