We the Media Ch. 11
Nov 11th, 2008 by noidion
We the Media Chapter 11 was interesting because of the way Gillmor showed the way copyright and infringement laws has helped to damper the internet from ways that many people in the tech industry thought it would go. Although I agree with Gillmor, that if you purchased something you should have a right to rip it to your computer or make backups of it I disagree that file sharing and peer-to-peer networks are the answer. Although I know he is not advocating illegally downloading copyrighted material I believe that it is only right to have some way to limit this kind of behavior.
Also, a reason I find peer-to-peer file sharing problematic is because of the horrible quality associated at times with this, and I still am a little weary of viruses that may pop up from an unknown source. These are things Gillmor doesn’t properly address. Although I do like the convenience of watching shows on my computer from various websites, I still much prefer watching shows in Hi-Def and without having to watch it on a very small screen. I just DVR everything I enjoy to watch.
One thing I did find interesting is the way corporations are cracking down and creating more and more digital rights laws. It was interesting to learn how companies like Disney who do use old fairy tales and stories are tremendously protective of their rights. Also, how companies that are aimed at creating new technologies are now trying to find ways to limit the technology they once created.
I think everyone obviously hates spam and companies storing are information through the use of cookies. Rather than helping people these type of things force are just a nuisance. Although as Gillmor pointed out cookies can be helpful, they also can limit your use on a particular site and track what other things you are interested in. In Firefox, this is easy to control including a way to delete all private data and limit sites from gathering information. This isn’t anywhere near 100% but it does help.