Investigators claim to have recorded almost 100,000 instances of iiNet users making available online unauthorised copies of films and TV programs from the film studio’s catalogues, lawyers for the film industry said in court today…

“By making those films available in those…instances, iiNet customers invited any and every user of the freely available BitTorrent software program to download any and every part of those infringing copies,” the industry’s lawyers said in opening remarks.

AFACT accuses iiNet’s customers of using bittorrent traffic to “steal” copyrighted content, and proposes that iiNet should filter this traffic and disconnect users who file-share. This case is the first of its kind in Australia, and will set the legal precedent for cases in the future. If iiNet lose this one, then most Australian Bittorrent users will have to find a different solution.

Is it morally acceptable to filter internet traffic? As an internet user, you are not paying for access to “the internet”, you are paying for access to a global network of protocols and equipment. This equipment joins together to create the internet. When certain providers start blocking certain pieces of software and protocols, the integrity of the internet is challenged. Americans in particular have problems with the concept of network filtering, because it imposes on their institutional right to free-speech. (After all, isnt internet traffic only a means of transmitting information, regardless of protocol?)

NET NEUTRALITY [wikipedia] A neutral broadband network is one that is free of restrictions on content, sites, or platforms, on the kinds of equipment that may be attached, and on the modes of communication allowed, as well as one where communication is not unreasonably degraded by other communication streams.

Blocking bittorent is only a band-aid fix for a much larger problem (the equivelant of a government blocking white vans from driving on the roads, “because most drugs are transported in white vans, and stopping white vans from driving on our roads will eliminate the drug problem”).

No matter what happens, piracy will only continue to grow in popularity, there will always be new ways to share content. Most internet users will remember napster [wikipedia], and what happened to illegal file sharing when it was shut down? Nothing. Absolutely nothing. File sharing is more popular today that it has ever been, which leads us to ask, will shutting down bittorrent traffic stop file sharing?

I would have to say: no. There are always new technologies, new workarounds and legal loop-holes. Downloaders will always find a way to download. And yet we are posed with the question: Why will file sharing continue to grow regardless of bittorrent’s future?

Most people I know do not shoplift, do not steal cars and most certainly do not snatch-bags. Yet, many of my friends share files. The law is supposed to be a moral reflection of society, laws regarding file sharing are supposed to represent the morals of its end-users. But here we are, downloading entire Michael Jackson discographies and new release blockbusters with a single click. Many bittornent users would tell you that Paying $44 for a BluRay movie is ridiculous, and that the money-hungry corporations and stars should sell their works cheaper (I bet people wouldn’t bother downloading new-release movies if they were sold for $9.99 at the local Coles)

So on one hand we have money-hungry multi-billion dollar companies “defending their rights”, and on the other side the end users are defending their right to freedom-of-speech and network-neutrality. Downloaders are going to continue downloading music, movies and TV shows, because on a moral level they diagree with the law and do not believe it to be fair.

Will the legal system sell-out to corporations? After all, the legal system is supposed to serve the people, not the corporations. The Australian legal system ESPECIALLY does not serve hollywood or the RIAA.

Also worthy of  watching: The IT crowd: File sharing

This is all my personal opionion, I do not condone file sharing in any way.

I do condone questioning the status-quo.

The Crisis of Credit Visualized from Jonathan Jarvis on Vimeo.

Oh, almost forgot. We should be getting our stimulus package bonus soon. Check out centrelink (current centrelink benefit recipients) or the ATO (the rest of us) for more info.

Please make sure the ATO has your most recent details! Fill out those outstanding tax returns, update the phone number, address and bank account details so that you can recieve your $900! A link to the ATO update service is on their website, or you can call them on 1300 686 636 during business hours.

This time it looks like they’ve found the mythical city of Atlantis, with the “google ocean” extension to google earth. 

“The site lies 620 miles off the west coast of Africa near the Canary Islands — a location for Atlantis seemingly suggested by the ancient philosopher Plato.”

“He believed it was an island civilisation sunk by an earthquake and floods around 9,700BC — nearly 12,000 years ago.”

The legend of Atlantis has captured the mind of adventures, treasure hunters and scholars alike for centuries. 

Read more at the following link:

‘Atlantis’ spotted on ocean floor off Africa | The Sun |News.

http://tinyurl.com/b85f4y [Foxnews.com]

A bit of background on this: Mid last year articles started popping up on news and social networking sites (such as digg) about atheist groups spending vast sums of money promoting that “There is probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life”. Supporters of the advertising campaign stating that everyone has a right to freedom of speech, and that God has had his messages plastered all over front-lawn signs of churches for centuries. 

Each campaign can easily cost in excess of $250000, and some people go as far as stipulating that these large amounts of money are being spent, with almost no change in mindset or religious stance. These atheist promoting campaigns can be seen across the world from London to America, I’m even told here in Sydney. In london the christian political party is even jumping on the bandwagon, with signs soon to be rented saying “There is a God. BELIEVE. Don’t worry and enjoy your life.”  Supporters will then be able to send a sms costing 2 euros (approx $3.94AU) stating the word “amen”, with the money going toward the support of the christian political party.

Personally, these campaigns dont worry me too much. I mean, they’re similar to the political advertising and campaigning you see outside the electoral poll booths during election time. I’ve made my mind up well before I get to the voting booth, and no amount of political scare tactics slammed across thousands of plastic signs is going to make me change my mind. 

These campaigns have the atheists supporting the messages, the christians opposing the messages, and the rest of the world saying “I couldn’t really care less, to be honest”.

We, as the Body of Christ, should probably be asking ourselves “Why do they think believing in God means they cant enjoy their lives?” and be campaigning against that, instead…

Check out the following links for more info:

http://tinyurl.com/b862ts [the Washington post]

http://tinyurl.com/dg9v8v [the daily 49er]

(thanks to Eric Briseno for the link - http://tinyurl.com/b2e3kq [facebook] )