Do you watch youtube? Better be careful.

[tazber]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 7:42pm

This is pretty chilling. A federal judge has ordered that yt hand over all its records regarding who has been watching what for anti-piracy reasons.
I don't see how this will help any more than jusy providing the number of hits a given video has had (although I guess one IP adress could watch a clip several times making that an inaccurate criteria).

Depsite this quote:

"After Google resisted, a federal judge ruled that Google was obliged to turn over only a sample of Web addresses in its search index, not the actual search terms requested."

I still think it's a slippery slope we're heading down.




Big brother is watching

[YouWantitWhen????]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 7:46pm

I would think this is going to be used to try and assess damage for copyright and intellectual property violations, not necessarily to go after the individual viewers.

But, you never know.

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 7:52pm

Updated On: 1/22/09 at 07:52 PM

[tazber]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 8:04pm

I know, and they do say that in the article, but I think the precedent being set here could have some unintended consequences.

[DG]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 8:06pm

Taz - once they find out you come to BWW, you're REALLY screwed

[LePetiteFromage]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 8:10pm

Updated On: 1/22/09 at 08:10 PM

[Yawper]

Posted: 7/3/08 at 8:31pm

lol, they just want to find the almost 2 million malcontents who viewed Mosh (especially with the alternate ending - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X9FApvqS-3k ) and everyone who posted f*ck Bush everywhere
Mosh

[winston89]

Posted: 7/4/08 at 1:39am

One question that I am wondering is this. I know youtube is an american site. However, I do know that it gets hits from all over the world on a daily basis. Let's say for example someone in another country watched an episode of an American TV show on youtube. Clearly that video was put up there illegally. But, can the person because they are in another country get into trouble because their country might have some different rules in regards to copyright law. Or, can they still get into trouble because they are on a US site on a US server and therefor anything anyone does regardless of where they are they still have to go by US copyright law?

I know that a lot of the ongoing problems with things like Limewire or Kazaa is that they are not only on an international server. But, even if they were on a US server and were ordered to be taken down by the government it would be a loosing battle for the government because form what I understand file sharing programs aren't that hard to make. So, even if they get rid of one there will still be another one that pops up.

I also know that a lot of file sharing sites are on a TK server. TK is the internet country code for Tokelau a small island off the coast of New Zeland that pretty much gives free domain names to anyone who wants one around the world. Therefor no one can get into trouble with any law which is why people use it so often.

[tazber]

Posted: 7/4/08 at 1:48am

The viewrs aren't going to be in trouble. The records are being subpeonaed to prosecute youtube itself.

My worry is that while they don't care about who's actually watching what now, once that info is accessible it's a very short distance to having what you watch being monitored by pretty much anyone.

[DG]

Posted: 7/4/08 at 1:53am

"having what you watch being monitored"

Um, Taz, I hate to break it to you, but that already happens. Why do you think some people get different ads shown to them from the same sites? The same thing is occuring on satelite radio - ads tailored to what you are tuning into.

I continue to think that the most accurate vision of the future was the ALIEN franchise - everything controlled by 'the Company'.

A friend of mine jokes that it will be named Google.

I don't laugh very hard.

[tazber]

Posted: 7/4/08 at 2:03am

well that's a little different I think DG. I mean, advertisers may use software that recognizes certain key words you use to decide which ads to display on your banner, but at the worst people would know that you visit a site in general.
And I think that's not a bad thing. I mean there are certain sites whose users should be monitored (illegal ones obviously).

But this youtube thing doesn't just let them know that you visit the site, but what videos you actually watch.

[DG]

Posted: 7/4/08 at 2:08am

"people would know that you visit a site in general.
And I think that's not a bad thing."

Interesting lines you're drawing there.

Said the Libertarian.

[tazber]

Posted: 7/4/08 at 2:12am

you left out this part of my quote "(illegal ones obviously)"

I was referring to child porn sites, etc.

I think those lines are pretty clear.

[DG]

Posted: 7/4/08 at 2:18am

"I think those lines are pretty clear."

I don't - at least in this puritanical society. And I certainly don't accept that they're based on logic, as opposed to emotion.

Said the Libertarian

[Mekroth]

Posted: 7/4/08 at 2:21am

Taz, you hit the nail right on the head.