Taking the Heat For Your IP Adress
If you guys remember, the three strikes laws in the UK give internet users three chances to avoid copyright infringement. Basically, if their IP address is found being used against copyright laws three times then they lose their internet connection. Not only do these laws cost large amounts of money to maintain, but they can also get people into a lot of trouble when they didn’t even break a single Law.
How would innocent people lose one of their three strikes? Well, think about how these laws work. They trace the infringements back to the user’s IP address. But if someone has an unprotected network, ( a network which allows anyone to use it) then anyone within WiFi range can use their network. This means that someone could drive down a road looking for open networks to use, access one of these networks, and infringe on copyright laws without any consequences. And if they get traced back to the IP address, then the host will take all of the blame. This is exactly what an internet service did to prove that these laws do not apply to the users. In this article, you can read how ISP( internet service provider) Talk Talk sent an investigator looking for open connections. After he found one, he would then (legally)download Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” and the soundtrack to Peter’s Friends. Although he downloaded these legally, he proved that anyone can use an open connection and get away with it.
I agree with Talk Talk. I think its stupid how anyone could be blamed for people using their IP address. Also, the only way to avoid this situation would be to get a very secure, private network. It’s not fair to force people to use private networks. Having an open, unsecured network promotes free culture. It allows people to use the internet on the go, and not have to pay extra money for the internet whenever they travel. I know my house uses an unsecured network, and I would hate if we were forced to make it private in fear of obtaining one of these three strikes. On the other hand, this would have its advantages. Although you would have to make a secured network, it would give you security from people trying to use your IP for personal information instead of internet privileges.
Either way, I still end up supporting Talk Talk. They are supporting free culture and protecting innocent people. Besides, I disagreed with these three strike laws when I first read about them.
-Andrew Hogan
Mash-Up & Remix: The Hottest F-Sem at M-Wash 
This article presents a great argument about how unreliable it is to trace an IP address. This also shows that a new method of tracing illegal activity must be developed. IP addresses are too easily spoofed or accessed and as such cannot effectively be used to track down people who are performing illegal acts. In my opinion a better method would be to make it possible to trace activity through hardware specific things like MAC addresses which are specific to network adapters and network interface cards and are supposed to be a globally unique identification. By tracing these addresses it would be possible to trace activity back to a specific computer. Now this isn’t very practical but it’s just an example of a way to be more specific when tracing activity.
I definitely understand what both of you are saying, and at first I agreed. IP addresses are not reliable sources to track users down. I know I have personally used a neighbor or even stranger’s access to log onto my laptop or even download something to my iPod touch. After thinking about it though, this law seems less outrageous. It’s not a one strike you’re out, it’s a three strikes your out If you get in trouble due to others using your network, shame on them. If it happens twice, shame on you, make your network private.