Copyright Infringement and Internet Piracy

Since long before the Internet people have been illegally copying and downloading movies and music. As a child I remember everyone using their VCR’s to record their favorite movies that were coming on TV or using tapes to record their favorite songs on the radio.  Although, this has been a problem for many years the use of the Internet has made piracy easier and more common.  Downloading music and movies is illegal. Those who are caught downloading or uploading can face serious consequences such as penalties and jail time. Many Laws are in place to protect the value of the copyrighted material, however, it is very difficult to monitor the entire Internet. As we discussed in class, despite laws millions of people around the United States keep downloading and file sharing. 

Although, I do not think that we will ever be able to completely eliminate downloading I do believe that there are things that the government and media can do to reduce this growing problem. Here are three of my ideas.

1. One of the easiest ways that I think we could help eliminate the downloading issue is by banning the use of downloading software. Many computers come with software preprogramed just for this purpose. I don’t think that most people would go through the trouble to install software to download especially if it cost any money.

2.  Another way that I believe we could help to reduce the problem is by having everyone monitor their own content. Take for example Garth Brooks when you go online and try to search for any of his music you cannot find it. He has regulated his own material so that no one can easily download his music for free. If everyone would follow this practice then artists and producers would not lose any money and they would be able to protect their own copyrighted material.

3. The last idea that I have for how to reduce or eliminate this problem is by offering more sites to watch or listen, that are paid for by advertisements or are affordable for the average person. I believe that most everyone would pay a dollar to rent (or watch temporarily) good quality movies rather than something that is poor quality.  I feel that they would still make money and the user would not feel like they were being taken advantage of.

Piracy is an impossible problem.

Privacy-Enhanced Personalization

    With the recent news of credit card breaches with Home Depot and Target and the latest iCloud fiasco it is safe to say that there are good reasons why consumers are worried to share their information online. In the article written by Alfred Kobsa it goes in depth about privacy enhanced personalization. As consumers most of us enjoy personalized content, it helps us to narrow down web content to find something that is relevant to our likes and needs.  But how far do vendors go to get our information and what do they do with it, is what makes many consumers nervous to share their information online.

     Kobsa writes that what most users say they are most uneasy about is whether or not their information and purchase records will truly be kept confidential. Other privacy concerns that users had were that their online searches would be recorded and used for unknown purposes and that their inadequate skills would also be recorded. All of these are rational fears; although most information is gathered for research and marketing purposes, consumers fear what they do not know.

     Internet users can be broken down into 3 major groups the Privacy Fundamentalist who generally are very concerned, The Privacy Unconcerned who generally only express mild concern and the Privacy Pragmatists who are somewhat concerned. This article also concludes from surveys that people are generally most apprehensive about the things that they are ashamed of or hold secretive getting out. As we are all aware though many sites do indeed use or web history to personalize to our taste. Facebook is primarily one site that does this, if you pay attention many times what you search for in say Google, will pop up on your timeline. Is this too intrusive? I believe it is simply apart of personalization. Should Internet sites be required to tell consumers how their information is being used? 94% of people think they should because without this knowledge they do not feel comfortable sharing their data because they do not trust the site. Trust is an important factor for disclosure, along with positive past experience, design and operation of a website, privacy statement and reputation of the web site operator.

    So is this invasion of privacy worth personalization.  Some could argue both ways sure I do enjoy amazons recommendation but what other information are they sharing of mine. This practice has been going on for years, cards that you get from grocery stores such as the MVP card has your address in the system so that every time you scan your card they can keep track of purchases. Is this worth it?