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Homeland Security Goes After Internet Pirates

By Jeralyn, Section War on Terror
Posted on Sat May 28, 2005 at 09:36:12 AM EST
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John Cole of Balloon Juice had insomnia last night and blogged his way through it. First up: Do you feel safer knowing that Homeland Security Agents, entrusted with securing our borders, are spending their time investigating and drafting and executing search warrants against sites that offer free downloads of the new Star War movies? John rails against the misuse of resources.

John's second rant is against doctors in the U.K., who want to ban kitchen knives with long blades because they might lead people to spontaneously pick one up and stab someone.

John should get insomnia more often.

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    • Homeland Security Goes After Internet Pirates | 4 comments (4 topical)
    Re: Homeland Security Goes After Internet Pirates (none / 0) (#2)
    by Aaron on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:25 PM EST
    According to a friend of mine who is an FBI agent, under the auspices of the Patriot Act, filesharing is now classified as a possible terrorist threat. US security agencies, including homeland security and the FBI have been confiscating computers and servers since 2002. All the names and IP addresses from that equipment has not only been put into a security information database, they have also been provided to movie production companies, software manufacturers,RIAA,MPAA, and who knows what other third parties. These parties have been exerting pressure on Internet and cable providers like Comcast to help them hunt down file sharers and prosecute them. In my mind this is an obvious distortion and abuse of Homeland security and the Patriot Act.

    Re: Homeland Security Goes After Internet Pirates (none / 0) (#1)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:26 PM EST
    And when, providence forbid, the next great terrorist attack comes, the valient forces of homeland security will have the defense of "but we were fighting movie piracy....that's why we were formed, right?"

    Re: Homeland Security Goes After Internet Pirates (none / 0) (#3)
    by Aaron on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:26 PM EST
    My friend tells me that this kind of activity by the intelligence community amounts to little more than busy work, since they haven't been able to uncover any substantial terrorist network or threat within the United States. Possibly this is the reason that the new focus of the intelligence community is on environmental terrorists which are now classified ahead of Al Qaeda as the number-one threat to US Homeland security. All those SUVs they are defacing, and lab animals they're taking pictures of is apparently a real threat to the American way. Sounds like they've really got their priorities straight, especially when you consider that Osama bin Laden is still on his worldwide tour.

    Re: Homeland Security Goes After Internet Pirates (none / 0) (#4)
    by Talkleft Visitor on Sat Dec 17, 2005 at 12:59:27 PM EST
    Hey, but we captured Zarqawi's laptop computer, did we not? I bet it was full of pirated movies and music clips.

    Homeland Security Goes After Internet Pirates | 4 comments (4 topical)