Business & Technology Företag & Teknologi
W
ell it seems like the anti file-sharing law implemented here in Sweden on the 1st of April was no joke after all. The Intellectual Property Rights
Enforcement Directive or IPRED essentially allows copyright holders to acquire data on suspected illegal file-sharers and to take legal action against them with greater ease. Though personally I do not engage in this act, illegal file-sharing especially amongst students is a common trend, a source of entertainment, a way of life. Up until now, it is via this medium that students got their shows (Lost, Supernatural, Star Trek) their movies (Wall.E, Braveheart) their music (Dido, Lady Gaga, The Fray ) and so much more all at the reasonable price of free. The implementation of IPRED has sparked greater demand for anonymity services. Despite the fact there are many IT companies that already provide this, the introduction of IPREDator, a VPN (Virtual Private Network) service courtesy of The Pirate Bay or TPB is especially brazen in its effort to keep its patrons one step ahead of the law. TPB is arguably the most popular site in the thick of this file-sharing debate with over 3.5 million users. Their service essentially allows users to tunnel through to the TPB server via an encrypted connection that conceals the users IP address. Couple this with the fact that they will not be keeping track of any logs and you begin to see how this is bound to cause some problems for proponents of the new law.
that TPB doesn’t actually host any files, but only creates an environment where users can share files evidently didn’t hold up in court - they were convicted and sentenced to a year in prison and fined 30 million kronor for good measure. Though the case is being appealed (there could even be a retrial), it nonetheless shows that the law is taking a firmer stance here in Sweden. The site soldiers on, though the IPREDator service has not been officially launched yet (what with their recent litigation woes and all) but with over a 100,000 signups, its release could prove to be very popular. Not to be outdone by the Bay’s antics, ISP’s are joining the fray by protecting their clients and essentially undermining the new law by destroying the IP address details of their customers. Both Tele2 and Bahnhof have announced that they will be deleting customers’ info. Regardless of what side of the fence you’re on in terms of illegal file-sharing, the fact remains that it is an integral part of student life. There is yet another issue being raised amongst some users and critics of the IPRED law and how its implementation could open the door to more invasive measures and increased web surveillance down the road. Detractors pose the question of whether users’ privacy is too much a price to pay in the attempt to abolish piracy. Either way, with millions of users hell-bent on finding new techniques to circumvent the IPRED law and laws like it, it’s fair to assume that the battle to clamp down on piracy may just be beginning. Text: Wale Adelakun
The recent conviction of the Pirate Bay Boys was however a major setback for the millions of users that patrol the site. The argument
2009 Fresco 25