Senator Hatch supports "damaging computers" involved in "ilegal downloading" !??

[Dave Farber <dave () farber net>]

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Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2003 23:11:53 -0400
From: tim finin <finin () cs umbc edu>


Hatch Takes Aim at Illegal Downloading
By TED BRIDIS, AP, 17 June 2003; 5:22 PM
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6241-2003Jun17.html

WASHINGTON - The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee said
Tuesday he favors developing new technology to remotely destroy the
computers of people who illegally download music from the Internet.

The surprise remarks by Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, during a hearing on
copyright abuses represent a dramatic escalation in the frustrating
battle by industry executives and lawmakers in Washington against
illegal music downloads.

During a discussion on methods to frustrate computer users who
illegally exchange music and movie files over the Internet, Hatch
asked technology executives about ways to damage computers involved in
such file trading. Legal experts have said any such attack would
violate federal anti-hacking laws.

"No one is interested in destroying anyone's computer," replied Randy
Saaf of MediaDefender Inc., a secretive Los Angeles company that
builds technology to disrupt music downloads. One technique
deliberately downloads pirated material very slowly so other users
can't.

"I'm interested," Hatch interrupted. He said damaging someone's
computer "may be the only way you can teach somebody about copyrights."
...
On the Net: Sen. Hatch: http://hatch.senate.gov

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A6241-2003Jun17.html


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