August 26, 2004

by Reb Yudel
Why hunt terrorists when you can indict downloaders?

They may not have found Bin Laden. They may not have any recourse except sheer fear to deal with three-year-old rumors of terror attacks. But don't say that Ashcroft's Raiders aren't busy!

Indeed, FBI Sting Targets P2P Operation according to InternetNews.com

The U.S. Department of Justice has targeted a group known as the Underground Network for its first criminal investigation into intellectual property piracy over peer-to-peer (P2P) networks.

Instead, the probe is focusing on a specific network of Direct Connect users that requires its more than 7,000 members to make anywhere from 1 to 100 gigabytes of media available for other members.

During a media briefing Wednesday, Attorney General John Ashcroft said "virtually every kind of software, game, movie and music was available for illegal downloading and distribution on these networks, from computer games and music that would cost as much as $18 to $35 dollars if purchased legitimately, to specialized software that has a retail cost in excess of $1,000."

You know, if the war on terror is over, maybe the FBI can help track down stolen cars? TrackBack