USA to legalize rootkits, spyware, ransomware and trojans to combat piracy?

[mips]

http://blog.emsisoft.com/2013/05/27/seriously-usa-to-legalize-rootkits-spyware-ransomware-and-trojans-to-combat-piracy/


Just a few days ago the “Commission on the Theft of American Intellectual Property” released their 84-page report. Amidst a large amount of rather naive ideas there is one idea that strikes us as particularly insane: The report proposes the use of malware to determine whether or not you are pirating intellectual property and if you are, to lock your computer and holds all your files hostage until you call the police and confess to your crime:

Additionally, software can be written that will allow only authorized users to open files containing valuable information. If an unauthorized person accesses the information, a range of actions might then occur. For example, the file could be rendered inaccessible and the unauthorized user’s computer could be locked down, with instructions on how to contact law enforcement to get the password needed to unlock the account. Such measures do not violate existing laws on the use of the Internet, yet they serve to blunt attacks and stabilize a cyber incident to provide both time and evidence for law enforcement to become involved.

It gets even better:

While not currently permitted under U.S. law, there are increasing calls for creating a more permissive environment for active network defense that allows companies not only to stabilize a situation but to take further steps, including actively retrieving stolen information, altering it within the intruder’s networks, or even destroying the information within an unauthorized network. Additional measures go further, including photographing the hacker using his own system’s camera, implanting malware in the hacker’s network, or even physically disabling or destroying the hacker’s own computer or network.

Read more .... (http://blog.emsisoft.com/2013/05/27/seriously-usa-to-legalize-rootkits-spyware-ransomware-and-trojans-to-combat-piracy/)


Actual report http://ipcommission.org/report/IP_Commission_Report_052213.pdf

[TNFrank]

I've always felt that not allowing free downloads of music on the interweb but a bunch of B.S. Everyone knows that musicians make the majority of their money from Conserts and selling T-Shirts, ect. and not from CD's or music downloads.
I think this is just another attemp by our government to subvert the interweb and take away our Freedom. We need to e-mail Congress and fight this with all we have. JMHO, YMMV.

[LillyDragon]

I rarely say this, but I can't help but see just how stupid, nearsighted, and ironically ignorant this solution is to the actual situation involving piracy. Locking down a computer, or it's ISP access, like other companies want to do, is not the solution, and you can't get that software running on all systems anyway, so I can see a lot of people flocking to obscure Linux distros just so they can access their files. This won't stop piracy, it will encourage it to flock to other channels instead.

God knows the performance hit this nonsense would cause too, knowing how bad Spyware can be at hogging resources to do its own thing, and that'd rustle a lot of jimmies in power users. Programs like this just would not see the widespread adoption it'd need to be truly effective in application.

Why don't companies hire a small team of keyboard warriors on-site to surf Google all day, looking for torrents and warez sites hosting company property, (Seriously, it's not that hard to find most hosters of illegal content.) so they can report said sites and get them shut down? Oh wait, that would involve skimming the top off their profits just a tad to make sure their property is protected! The ever growing corporate greed for that bottom dollar in this country is starting to drive me insane.

[YourSurrogateGod]

http://blog.emsisoft.com/2013/05/27/seriously-usa-to-legalize-rootkits-spyware-ransomware-and-trojans-to-combat-piracy/



Actual report http://ipcommission.org/report/IP_Commission_Report_052213.pdf

No, this is the state police wanting to have access to anything that you do in the interest to protect those poor, helpless and oft victimized multi-billion dollar corporations who's business models are from an age when the dodo bird was still running around. Basically, they're legalizing -- for themselves -- certain actions that would be considered immoral at best. The Russian Duma has done a similar thing in the past by legalizing the assassination of "terrorists", without clearly specifying what a terrorist is.

The state grants itself vague and broad powers because what it currently has is not enough.

[Annadin]

Why don't companies hire a small team of keyboard warriors on-site to surf Google all day, looking for torrents and warez sites hosting company property, (Seriously, it's not that hard to find most hosters of illegal content.) so they can report said sites and get them shut down? Oh wait, that would involve skimming the top off their profits just a tad to make sure their property is protected! The ever growing corporate greed for that bottom dollar in this country is starting to drive me insane.

But thats going off the assumption that higher ups have common sense :/

[prodigy_]

Yarr! They've been trying to fight us for decades. And all their attempts so far have been laughable. And this particular one will take its rightful place among the most pathetic examples.

A good laugh though. As always.

[QIII]

I'd like to take a moment to remind everyone of two things:

1. Anything that might imply the conduct of illegal activity is a violation of the Code of Conduct and can precipitate the jailing of posts and possibly penalties for those who post.

2. We have been more tolerant of political discussions in the Cafe, so long as they stay within the bounds of political developments as they apply specifically to open source. This is close enough that it can probably proceed. However, be aware that if this strays into a more general political discussion the thread will probably be closed.

Keep it on the specific topic in the original post and avoid gratuitous negative generalizations about any particular government, please.

Thanks.

[deadflowr]

Rootkits and spyware, and other forms of malware should remain illegal.

[monkeybrain2012]

Well I wouldn't worry. If there is any taker on such insane ideas it is going to be MicroSoft and it will be a Windows only "feature", with approrpiately Orwellian names like "secure computing" or "trusted computing delux". MS may apply for a few patents. Just going to drive more users to other platforms.

[snowpine]

I've always felt that not allowing free downloads of music on the interweb but a bunch of B.S. Everyone knows that musicians make the majority of their money from Conserts and selling T-Shirts, ect. and not from CD's or music downloads.
I think this is just another attemp by our government to subvert the interweb and take away our Freedom. We need to e-mail Congress and fight this with all we have. JMHO, YMMV.

I am a musician, not a T-shirt designer. You do not have my permission to download my music for free. Please do not download my music for free! If you are stealing my music then I hope your computer gets malware and gets shut down. ;)

[TNFrank]

I am a musician, not a T-shirt designer. You do not have my permission to download my music for free. Please do not download my music for free! If you are stealing my music then I hope your computer gets malware and gets shut down. ;)

I've played guitar since the age of 5 and bass for the last 15 years and have dreamed of getting into a band although at 52 that dream is pretty much dead now. I would relish the idea of kids all over the world downloading MY music for FREE to play and enjoy. If all music is about for you is cash them maybe you should become a doctor or lawyer. For me music is about touching people's souls and money doesn't even enter into it. Besides, how many millions do the guys from Metallica really need?
Heck, Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters gave away some of their music just to get the band into the lime light. Fame and reconition is where it's at as a musican, not money.

[snowpine]

I've played guitar since the age of 5 and bass for the last 15 years and have dreamed of getting into a band although at 52 that dream is pretty much dead now. I would relish the idea of kids all over the world downloading MY music for FREE to play and enjoy. If all music is about for you is cash them maybe you should become a doctor or lawyer. For me music is about touching people's souls and money doesn't even enter into it. Besides, how many millions do the guys from Metallica really need?
Heck, Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters gave away some of their music just to get the band into the lime light. Fame and reconition is where it's at as a musican, not money.

Shouldn't people be able to decide that for themselves? If you want to give your music away for free, then give it away for free; if you want to charge money, then charge money.

I am shocked moderators have not closed this thread promoting illegal activities.

[monkeybrain2012]

I am shocked moderators have not closed this thread promoting illegal activities.

You mean rootkits and ransomeware? :)

[3mutts]

I heard about this a couple weeks ago and this is the stupidest idea I've ever seen, the only thing this WILL do is affect millions of innocent computer users, take down large important networks (stock exchange, government computers, ect), and hackers will make millions by exploiting this law. Anyways, I don't think even if this gets through that congress will pass it, but then again they are politicians....

EDIT: The saddest thing is that the largest manufacturer of pirated matrial (China) will probably not be affected by this law.

[pqwoerituytrueiwoq]

I would i don't care cause i use linux, but this is a very slippery road and i don't want this to happen (and I hope I am not giving MS any ideas here):
I am sure they will then attempt to ban Operating Systems/software that are much harder to infect if they succeeded in this and it will be illegal to use anything other than windows and IE

I would like to see the publicly politicians tell the media industry 'you are drunk go home' (i hope that/this does not cross the politics line)
I am sure that would violate a number of privacy and search and seizer laws

[prodigy_]

Not exactly on topic, but somewhat close:
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-secret-surveillance-20130607,0,5263648.story?page=1

And people sneered at RMS when he said that cell phones were "mobile tracking devices". I wonder if anyone's ready to apologize now that it's clear and confirmed that RMS was right. ;)

[mips]

Nothing new, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON

[DJWYMAN]

Back before the internet was main stream people used to record music with tape players off of the radio or record movies with their vcr and no one went around busting down doors for either. So why is it that now that there is the internet and the format has changed does the music/movie industry care so much now?

as far as this malware proposition I see it probably being only a windows problem...but I would think that the anti-virus companies would help with such an issue and help battle against it by defending against such a thing in the event it does pass. I mean heck even if this does come to light there will people that will figure out how to battle against it weather it be the pirates, developers, or big companies. I think opening the door for such things could however mean the death of the digital world if it does come to light because it will open the door for people to do malicious things to important infrastructures.

[greatsirkain]

I want it on record that I abhor piracy in all its forms and this is not just another attempt by the rich to get richer and maintain control
I would never use pirate bay, I couldn't even as it's been blocked in the UK and there is totally no way anyone, not even a child could find a workaround to all their genius machiavellian solutions! Another stalwart action that prevented an entire country from listening to free, nay, stolen works of our worlds hardest working employees - actors, musicians and others associated with those businesses!!
It is in no way a very thin smoke screen to privatise and monitise the internet and Akamai, social networks, free OS's and media companies are in no way in on it and laughing at you right now.

Edit: It's also not entirely hilarious that by using buzzwords like "funding terrorism", "war on piracy" and by handing out wayyy over the top prison sentences (seriously you can get less for murder) they're actually just pushing piracy (and the MASSIVE profits involved ) into rogue states (as it's not illegal to stream pirated media just to host it or links to it) where there are said terrorists in control.
So we can still watch it but it's the very countries they don't like that profit with their money.
The closest thing to being entirely in control of what we watch and how we watch it was the Xbox one....I say was because it's a complete joke revolving around the word 'fail'. It was like the gingerbread console.

[TNFrank]

And now we find out about the NSA storing everyone's cell phone calls from 2007 to present from Verison and other major cell phone carriers. Talk about piracy, what gives the government the Right to invade my privicy and store my cell phone calls?
I think they want to legalize all this stuff so that they can use it against us and claim it was some "hacker" and not them if/when we find out our systems have been hacked.
Also, I don't see anyone promoting illegal activity here, we're just talking and last time I checked the 1st Amendment was still in effect and we could TALK about stuff without fear. Or was that only in the "Old" America?

[coffeecat]

Last reminder:



2. We have been more tolerant of political discussions in the Cafe, so long as they stay within the bounds of political developments as they apply specifically to open source. This is close enough that it can probably proceed. However, be aware that if this strays into a more general political discussion the thread will probably be closed.

Keep it on the specific topic in the original post and avoid gratuitous negative generalizations about any particular government, please.


And:


last time I checked the 1st Amendment was still in effect and we could TALK about stuff without fear. Or was that only in the "Old" America?

Last time I checked the 1st Amendment to the American constitution was irrelevant to this international forum with servers based in the UK. You may talk about stuff without fear so long as it stays within the bounds of the Code of Conduct (http://ubuntuforums.org/misc.php?do=showrules).

[mips]

Last time I checked the 1st Amendment to the American constitution was irrelevant to this international forum with servers based in the UK. You may talk about stuff without fear so long as it stays within the bounds of the Code of Conduct (http://ubuntuforums.org/misc.php?do=showrules).

Some times people forget about the "My house, my rules" thing. You are free to go stand on a soap box in the town square and speak your mind but the same does not apply on private property.

[King Dude]

Haha Yeah, sure, go ahead and pass that, naive government of mine. Face the wrath of me and a few thousand other users when you do.

The United States government should focus on more serious problems than rich musicians losing some money. If they would like a real enemy, a real ​monster, I recommend the drug cartel on the southern border. After what I have seen, they deserve to be punished without mercy.

[TNFrank]

Haha Yeah, sure, go ahead and pass that, naive government of mine. Face the wrath of me and a few thousand other users when you do.

The United States government should focus on more serious problems than rich musicians losing some money. If they would like a real enemy, a real ​monster, I recommend the drug cartel on the southern border. After what I have seen, they deserve to be punished without mercy.

Ditto, and as far as that goes, China is hacking into and stealing more stuff then a few guys on the net downloading music. Much bigger fish to fry, much more pressing things to take care of then weather or not Metallica loses a few bucks from an illegal download.
Also, in the future I'm going to refrain from any "Political" talk because that's not why I'm here. I'm here to talk about Ubuntu and other Linux Op Systems and to keep my 'puter up and running so to all the Mods on the forum, you don't have to "worry" about me anymore.;)

[QIII]

Thank you all for your input. This is an important matter. However, despite two warnings the discussion has strayed from the topic specific to the original post to include US Drug Enforcement policy and the activities of the Chinese government (again).

Thread closed.


A note for some clarity for US Nationals:

The complaint that the Admins and Moderators on this forum deny the First Amendment Right to Free Speech under the US Constitution is tiresome (and doesn't apply).

If you are a US National, the First Amendment Right to Free Speech is not abridged when private parties limit the content that can be published in formats or venues over which they exercise editorial control. A newspaper, for instance, is not standing in the way of your Constitutional Right to Free Speech if they choose not to publish your letter to the editor. The Admins and Moderators on this forum are not abridging your First Amendment Right by enforcing adherence to the Ubuntu Forums Code of Conduct (Editorial Policy), to which we all subscribed when we signed up for our accounts. The staff exercise editorial control over what is published through this venue.

Neither is that exercise of editorial policy "censorship" in the way that many often misinterpret it. The First Amendment to the US Constitution protects against governmental or political censorship, not editorial censorship. You may say or write whatever you want in a public place (such as a street corner), so long as that expression is not otherwise proscribed by either US Code or case law adjudicated by any arm of the US Judiciary Branch. You may also say whatever you want via a private venue, so long as editorial policy does not proscribe it and it does not run counter to US law.

In any case, the US Constitution applies not at all to formats and venues hosted in other nations since it only applies within the bounds of US Jurisdiction. The US Constitution affords no protection to US Nationals abroad.

Yours truly,

A guy who professionally supported and defended the Constitution of the United States of America against all enemies, foreign and domestic, for 24 years.