So, now AT&T is admitting that they are monitoring our communications with their recent announcement that they will be somehow scanning our lines for copyright violations. I’m pretty pissed off about this, having just made the dubious decision to have a phone line installed. Now I’ll be wondering just who is listening in and what they are doing.
This is really ridiculous. And here’s one reason why: if I am, say, transmitting an audio file, how does some black box at AT&T know that I don’t have the rights to do so? For instance, some projects I work on are corporate video presentations, and I use copyrighted music. Ah, you say! That’s against the law! But wait — I pay royalties to ASCAP and BMI for the use of the music. But ASCAP and BMI bill once a year in arrears, not every time I use the music. How does AT&T know this by spying on my data transmissions?
How about this: if I am reading a copyrighted story to my niece over the phone, will men in black suits suddenly appear at my door?
Copyright insanity like this benefits only huge corporations, not artists who create. Does anyone really need more evidence that we have let huge corporations take over every aspect of our nation’s lives and culture?
“Does anyone really need more evidence that we have let huge corporations take over every aspect of our nation’s lives and culture?”
Geez- you say that like it just happened.
Wait!!! Is this the part where I suggest you ‘get out of your cave?’