U2 Manager: We Need ISP Filtering -- Blame Those Silicon Valley Hippies!

[David Farber <dave () farber net>]

________________________________________
From: Lauren Weinstein [lauren () vortex com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2008 8:16 PM
To: David Farber
Cc: lauren () vortex com
Subject: U2 Manager: We Need ISP Filtering -- Blame Those Silicon Valley Hippies!

   U2 Manager: We Need ISP Filtering -- Blame Those Silicon Valley Hippies!

                http://lauren.vortex.com/archive/000365.html


Greetings.  Man, it's flashback city here today.  It has been a long
time since anyone has dared yell "get a haircut" at me, and
similarly ages since I've heard hippies blamed for anything!

Well, the haircut drought continues, but U2's manager, Paul
McGuinness, claims that he's figured out why the music industry is
in "collapse" (hint, he doesn't blame the typically awful quality of
new "talent" releases) --
( http://music.guardian.co.uk/news/story/0,,2248544,00.html ).

No, Paul has homed in on well-known hippie freaks like Steve Jobs
and Bill Gates!  You do remember when Steve and Bill used to hang
out with Timothy Leary, right?  No?  You don't recall "Switch On,
Log In, and Buzz" ... ?  Maybe he'll include those other hippies
Google's Brin and Page in his next tirade.

Anyway, Paul wants governments around the world to pass legislation
ordering ISPs to declare war on "illegal" music downloaders, to
demonstrate a true understanding of the value of music.  No need for
due process -- just drop the magic TCP sword!  "Three strikes and
you're out!" is the policy he wants.  (Hmm, "out" of exactly
"what" I wonder?)

And based on his vast computer science knowledge, Paul also rejects
the claims of those who suggest that ISPs couldn't effectively
target illegal downloads without massive collateral damage (a topic
currently under discussion over on the NNSquad mailing list, by the way) --
( http://www.nnsquad.org ).

I get the creepy feeling that Paul's channeling Joe Friday from the
old "Dragnet" television series.  I may not remember everything from
the 60s, but The Age of Aquarius was never like this.

--Lauren--
Lauren Weinstein
lauren () vortex com or lauren () pfir org
Tel: +1 (818) 225-2800
http://www.pfir.org/lauren
Co-Founder, PFIR
   - People For Internet Responsibility - http://www.pfir.org
Co-Founder, NNSquad
   - Network Neutrality Squad - http://www.nnsquad.org
Founder, PRIVACY Forum - http://www.vortex.com
Member, ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy
Lauren's Blog: http://lauren.vortex.com

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