logical.order.of.chaos

The good news is that Google is now going to start obscuring the last octet of the IP addresses it keeps on file regarding searches.  They are going to wait several months before doing this, but at least they are taking some steps towards allowing consumer anonymity. 

Truthfully, I don’t worry about these issues too much.  I don’t do much online that would raise any interest outside of my own.  However, it is something we SHOULD be worried about.  We cannot allow companies to aid the government in reducing our right to freedom and privacy.  The right to privacy is not explicitly guaranteed in the constitution, however it can be very strongly inferred from the text.  It is something we as Americans value a great deal.  Some would say even to the possible detriment of ourselves.  It is possible to let people get away with murder so we can keep people from knowing what we read online.  It is good to see Google taking steps towards consumer privacy.

The bad news isn’t really all that bad.  Not for me or you anyhow.  Google purchased YouTube, a popular video sharing site late last year for 1.65 Billion(That is Billion with a B, for a WEBSITE!).  The problem was that YouTube was, and still is, rampant with copyright infringement.  Viacom has filed suit against  Google for approximately the same amount they paid for the site. 

First of all, I am not surprised.  Second, I am not unhappy about this.  I’ve always been against copyright infringement.  I very much believe in the fair use doctrine.   The problem is that people outright steal other people’s works.  That’s right, I said it STEAL.  I know, I know its a four letter word on the web.  In early 2000 when we first started seeing hardware mp3 players (which I thought was sci-fi voodoo at the time, consumer hardware that interprets music files?!)  I breifly worked with a guy that outright told me that it was perfectly ok to pop a cd into your system and upload the music files from them.  This wasn’t an idiot either, I mean he went to Harvard.  I guess they don’t teach a well rounded education there these days.  It’s outright thievery, no questions about it.  I have far more respect for someone who admits it is illegal and does it anyhow, than for someone who thinks its perfectly ok to steal. 

Bottom line is Google should have already taken down the copywritten material.  They are allowing users to upload whatever they want, and they should be held accountable for that.  I guess this will invoke a good debate about ‘Conduit’ status, and we will see if Google will give up the goods on users that have uploaded this stolen merchandise.

 This as well as many other lawsuits are really interesting to watch.  These will be the defining suits that prove out the new laws governing the web.

We live in such interesting times…

Filed under: Tech Law, Security