[Smaug] Zero tolerance for P2P?

[John Callaway]

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   Below is a message I received on the CSE (Computer Science & Engineering) 
Grads mailing list at UCSC, and my reply.  While this is not directly *nix 
related it has to do with issues of freedom that especially affect computer 
users, administrators and developers.

   Does my counter-argument seem reasonable?  I understand that P2P apps 
(especially early or poorly-written gnutella clients) can place a heavy load 
on the network.  However it seems desirable, for both technical and political 
reasons, for the Internet to be more a mesh of peers than a heirarchy of 
servers.

   I could maybe understand a corporation issuing a policy like this (although 
it would still piss me off as an employee), but whatever happened to the 
notion of universities as vanguards of knowledge and free expression?

Original message:

> On Friday 10 May 2002 14:41, Michael Perrone wrote:
> > Dear SoE community,
> >
> > Recently we have had a number of instances of P2P software servers being
> > installed on SoE supported, unsupported and lab networks.
> >
> > Specifically, Edonkey, Gnutella and other peer-to-peer applications have
> > been identified.
> >
> > These applications are commonly used to share copyrighted material and as
> > such are clearly in violation of UC and UCSC policies:
> >
> > http://www2.ucsc.edu/cats/sc/help/policies/compuse.shtml
> >
> > Additionally, P2P servers consume large amounts of bandwidth that should
> > be kept available for legitimate research and instructional use.
> >
> > We request that all members of the SoE network community refrain from
> > using any peer-to-peer file sharing applications, including, but not
> > limited to:
> >
> > Edonkey
> > Gnutella
> > Morpheus
> > KaZaA
> >
> > Beginning immediately, we will implement a zero-tolerance policy for
> > P2P file sharing by:
> >
> > * Continuously auditing the network for P2P file sharing activity
> > * Turning off without notice network access for any single-user system
> > engaged in P2P file sharing * Take other action as appropriate to enforce
> > policy, including blocking common ports and disabling accounts
> >
> > SoE network users are free to use P2P instant messaging software,
> > providing that any associated file sharing feature is not used to share
> > copyrighted material.
> >
> > If you have a legitimate need for using a P2P file sharing application
> > for research purposes, contact the Tech Staff before proceeding.
> >
> > Sincerely,
> >
> > Michael Perrone
> > Computing Director
> > UCSC Jack Baskin School of Engineering
> > mperrone@soe.ucsc.edu
> > 831-459-3960

My reply:

On Friday 10 May 2002 18:36, you wrote:
>    First of all, I am a part-time grad student who rarely uses the SOE
> facilities, and I have certainly never used any P2P application on SOE
> machines.
>
>    However I am very disturbed by the tone and content of your email.  P2P
> software, like any software tool, can be used for both legal or illicit
> activities.  There is a vast body of text, code, audio, and video available
> over P2P networks that is either in the public domain or whose authors have
> allowed it to be shared.  If you truly want to rigorously enforce the UCSC
> policy you link to, you will need to shut down web hosting and email
> services as well, since these protocols can also be used to share
> copyrighted material.
>
>    Not knowing any better, my hunch is UCSC received an intimidating letter
> from the MPAA, RIAA or another such corporate lobbying group, making vague
> threats to take legal action against you.  I hope you realize how vital a
> role universities and libraries play in the ongoing debate about how openly
> we will be allowed to share and exchange information in the 21st century.
> The content industries are using intellectual property arguments  to
> attempt an unprecedented power grab and usurption of long-established
> rights to fair use of copyrighted material.  An institution as large and
> presumably committed to an open society as the University of California
> should be at the forefront of the fight to keep networks and the flow of
> inforation open and unimpeded.
>
>    Of course, network resources are limited, and there is a legitamate
> argument to be made that P2P applications starve everyone of bandwidth. 
> But the "zero-tolerance" policy you describe is inappropriate for a
> university that purports to support the free flow of ideas.  If bandwidth
> truly does need to be rationed, setting quotas for uploads and/or downloads
> would be much fairer than simply banning entire categories of software
> altogether.
>
>    Zero tolerance, to me, means zero thought.
>
>

- ------------------------------------------------------------
|  John Callaway      |  www.cse.ucsc.edu/~callaway/       |
|  Software Engineer  |  VisiComp, Inc.  www.visicomp.com  |
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   ( John Callaway <john.callaway@visicomp.com> ):
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