Who's Watching What?

Making Sense of the Campus File Sharing Bank

A new campus-wide file sharing ban took effect at SUNY New Paltz in the Fall of 2007. It was announced at the first mandatory residence hall meetings in late August.

According to a campus Academic Computing document, it is a three-strike policy:

The first time a student is found downloading copyrighted material, the student's Internet is blocked until they fill out necessary documents for the school, when their Internet privileges are then returned to normal.

On the second strike, the matter is referred to Student Affairs, who have developed their own punishments, including possible expulsion.

On the third strike, the student's Internet connection is permanently terminated, and possible criminal charges may be brought.

Are there digital spies watching our every move on campus computers? This is all starting to sound a bit unreal...

Sophomore chemistry major Liam Stephens sees the new policy as “kind of stupid,” and as a part of the campus's recent “over-involvement in our personal lives.” He said that the campus is starting to get in the way of students' freedom too much, which is what some people go to college for in the first place.

“If you're going to get caught [downloading illegally] it shouldn't be the campus's problem,” he said.

Just how do "they" know what we're doing with our computers? Are there digital spies watching our every move on campus machines? Is some Orwellian overlord of copyright setting up a sting operation to nab college kids, with the campus as its shady lacky, just itching to send music fans into spiraling debt when they have to deal with legal fees in copyright infringement lawsuits?

This is all starting to sound a bit unreal. Just what is going on here?

Dan Timperio, the manager of ResNet, the campus's computer network system, had a lengthy but enlightening explanation.

He said that ResNet is an Internet provider, since all campus Internet traffic goes through them. As an Internet provider, they must follow the law called the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or the DMCA, a bill passed by Congress in 1998.

According to the New Paltz's Copyright Infringement Policy document, the DMCA mandates that Internet providers respond to all complaints about copyright infringement they receive. Every once and a while, the campus would get “infringement notices” from the Recording Industry Association of America, or RIAA, according to Timperio. The RIAA is a trade group made up of record companies that has a history of fighting against illegal file sharing.

But how does the RIAA find copyright infringers in the first place?

Timperio explained the RIAA's operation. They set up computers running LimeWire, BearShare, or other popular Peer-To-Peer file sharing programs. They then search for a specific artist or song, just like a normal user of those programs would.

But once they find a copy of the target file, instead of downloading it, they start taking legal action. They take note of the IP address of the computer that is offering it up for download, Timperio says.

" I'm attached to [the students]. I don't want them to get into trouble," said a campus computer manager.

IP addresses are a series of numbers that serve as a comp­­uter's unique signature on the Internet. They are somewhat like a phone number in that no two computers can have the same one at the same time. So if the RIAA sees someone offering files for upload at a certain IP address, they have a way to identify the computer.

But all they have is a string of numbers. In order to find the human behind the machine, they need to enlist the help of the Internet Service Provider that that IP address was connecting with. The specific digits in the beginning of an IP address are unique to specific Service Providers, so it is easy to tell which Service Provider to ask for help in pursuing legal action.

The RIAA can tell if an IP address involved in illegal file uploads is on the New Paltz campus. If it is, they send a letter to the campus asking ResNet to tell the user at that address to cease and desist. ResNet can put a human face to the number with its own software that says which IP address belongs to which on-campus computer user.

This has happened in the past, Timperio said. The New Paltz Oracle reported on it happening to four students in 2003, and Timperio said Computer Services have had to forward letters on the RIAA's behalf to other students since then.

Timperio does not enjoy sending out these letters, and when asked about the policy against file sharing he sighed and rolled his eyes. “Part of the reason I work at the college is because of the students. I'm attached to them. I don't want them to get into trouble... But at the same time, I have to obey the law, and I do follow the law,” he said, later adding that the rest SUNY New Paltz Computer Services feels similarly, in general.

He seemed glad to report that he has only had to send out one “infringement notice” letter this semester, suggesting that the new campus policy is working in reducing file sharing at SUNY New Paltz.

Students disagree with Computer Services about its effectiveness.

Brian F, a sophomore math education major, gave some examples of how people can still get the illegally acquired files they want despite the campus' policy. “Tech-savvy students will find alternate ways around, such as buying a cheap membership to a site that offers stolen files,” he said. Brian also mentioned the use of portable hard drives as a way to copy large amounts of music from one machine to another.

Stephens shared in Brian's skepticism. “In one way or another, people are going to get [what they want.] That's how capitalism works. Someone's always going to be crafty enough,” Stephens said.