Sharing the World, Essay Example

Introduction

This topic examines the argument of file sharing on the internet and why this concept is potentially harmful.  File sharing is the means of exchanging digitally stored information with friends or colleagues over the internet.  This may include such items as video files, data or information files, music or audio files, e-books or computer programmes.  There are varying means of exchanging or sharing files over the internet , these often referred to as Peer-to-peer networks or P2P.  Another popular method is by means of bit torrent  mainly used for the downloading of large music or video files.  Whilst the sharing of information over the internet is not an illegal one, nevertheless there are numerous instances of breach of copyright particularly with music, books and films.

Why File Sharing Is Considered Bad

Copyright Infringement

A large number of the public are guilty of  copyright infringement particularly prevalent in the distribution of media files i.e. music and films.  Whilst individuals seem less concerned about this, the net effect is that it deprives artiste’s of revenue for their work. The impact on the music industry for example ” Music sales dropped globally from approximately $38 billion in 1999 to $32 billion in 2003, and a number of studies have found that file sharing has a negative impact on record sales” (Zentner)

Transportation of Virus’s 

Many of the original copies of media files come from very dubious sources.  As such they often contain computer viruses and these act as another distribution media in the system.  Whilst most of us use anti-virus software, nevertheless there are serious viruses that can escape the scrutiny of the antivirus software and so serious harm to our computers. Although most people would not do this as a deliberate act it is considered anti social to send contaminated files to others over the internet.  One of the worst types of virus is the “Trojan” essentially because it enters your system undetected and can do both your system and yourself enormous damage.  Once activated it can interrogate your data files and report back information to the sender.  If it can obtain a sufficient profile on you, then this could be used for identity theft ” You might click on the link, and you won’t notice any problems. However, a Trojan virus can wipe out your data or even lurk in the background, capturing your activities and reporting them back to another computer” (Roberts)

Release of Personal Information

Release of personal information shared on the internet is another potential hazard.  Whilst some of this may be for legitimate purposes, there remains a security of  “hackers” getting this information and using it for illegal means.  There is an alarming trend that shows the youthful hackers of yesterday are maturing into modern day felons turning their talents towards criminal activities for profit.  ” Two days prior, the Today Show reported that more than 150,000 tax returns, 25,800 student loan applications and 626,000 credit reports were all inadvertently made available though File Sharing” (Greg Sandoval)

Internet Piracy

This refers to essentially the theft or hijacking of a product and re-distributing it for profit or other means.  In software alone it has been estimated to have cost the US economy some $12 billion in lost revenues.  Most of this activity in the software world relates to cracking the installation product codes and then duplicating the software application for resale.  Copying of .wav music files and re-distributing them over the internet is another example. ” Piracy over the Internet will be almost impossible to stop. One reason is because there are no Internet laws that can be upheld, with privacy issues coming into play. Web sites that distribute pirated software, games, music and movies can be found and shut down but charges may never be laid” (Norman)

In summary the  principle argument in the determination that file sharing is bad may be briefly summarized as follows:

• It can be an immoral activity depriving the right of others a source of revenue for their work;
• It has an economic impact to your country depriving it from a source of revenue that contributes towards the social well being of all;
• It can be potentially harmful to you as an individual by allowing people, with unlawful intentions, access to your private information
• You may be contributing unknowingly to the unlawful distribution of malware, viruses, spyware and other harmful bugs into the systems of others you communicate with
• Infringement of copyright could land you on the wrong side of the law in a legal action.

Advocates for the File Sharing Concept

Some individuals argue that this does not hurt other individuals financially, on the contrary it takes some of the huge profits made by Corporations and helps in the wealth redistribution by making products available at a price people can afford.

Another argument is that Asian countries like China are already flooding the market with cheap consumer goods. Many of these goods having been replicated unlawfully in foreign countries where they are immune from copyright protection laws.  Sites like eBay have made it easier for the global distribution of such goods.  The argument here is based on – if they can do it why shouldn’t I ?

Perhaps one of the most convincing arguments here is that of the impact of globalization. We are now part of a global village concept, we trade internationally throughout the world.  As such the cultural values of society have changed and the laws of copyright are out dated and no longer apply.  They are considered to be legally unenforceable in law.

Another view is that this entire field is so new there is simply not enough supporting information on it. At this stage the lack of empirical data makes it difficult to form an accurate opinion on what is right and what is wrong.. ”  The Internet and P2P downloading are both relatively new phenomena, and collecting sufficient data for empirical studies is difficult. This task is made cumbersome because data that identify P2P users, their downloads, music purchases, and demographics are not readily available. The number of studies that investigate file sharing is growing, but the overall number of studies is still small. ” (Norbert)

The final words with Dr Michael Norbert.. ” Making copyrighted material instantly available to the world without the owner’s permission is stealing. The challenge for policymakers is to curtail this theft of intellectual property without limiting legitimate activity or chilling technological innovation through regulation.” (Norbert)

Works Cited

Greg Sandoval, CTV News. Congress to probe P2P sites over ‘inadvertent sharing CTV News Greg Sandoval. 21 April 2009.

Norbert, Michael J. “Backgrounder : Heritage Foundation.” Internet File Sharing: The Evidence So Far and What It Means for the Future 23 August 2004.

Norman, Ian. Piracy on the Internet. 27 9 2009.

Roberts, Caroline. Trojan Virus Dangers. 2009. 18 10 2009 <http://www.life123.com/technology/computer-software/trojan-virus/trojan-virus-2.shtml#STS=g0znb7jw.o2m>.

Zentner, Allesjandro. “”File Sharing and International Sales of Copyrighted Music: An Empirical Analysis with a Panel of Countries.” The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, Vol. 5, Issue 1 (2005).