Little known (at least within the policy
world) about many of the file-sharing services is that they have been sources
of, well, other things besides music.
In fact, several years ago when I was just becoming familiar with the file-sharing technologies, I was shown that one could easily obtain software, videos, and pictures from these services. And I was not surprised to see that most of the pictures and videos available were porn.
I mention this because it often goes unmentioned, and because a NASA executive has been arrested in a child-porn sting operation, and he indicated that KaZaa was one of his sources for his material.
I've been among those who has tried to draw a distinction between the technology of file-sharing, and the illegal applications of it. I've argued that there are probably legitimate applications of file-sharing technology, and that the technology itself shouldn't be outlawed.
But I have to admit that I have yet to see a legitimate, productive application of file-sharing technology, and this story doesn't exactly move the ball down the field.
In fact, several years ago when I was just becoming familiar with the file-sharing technologies, I was shown that one could easily obtain software, videos, and pictures from these services. And I was not surprised to see that most of the pictures and videos available were porn.
I mention this because it often goes unmentioned, and because a NASA executive has been arrested in a child-porn sting operation, and he indicated that KaZaa was one of his sources for his material.
I've been among those who has tried to draw a distinction between the technology of file-sharing, and the illegal applications of it. I've argued that there are probably legitimate applications of file-sharing technology, and that the technology itself shouldn't be outlawed.
But I have to admit that I have yet to see a legitimate, productive application of file-sharing technology, and this story doesn't exactly move the ball down the field.