University of Idaho network users should be aware that
peer-to-peer (p2p) applications should only be used with extreme
caution. This website is to inform file sharing users of these
risks & steps to take to mitigate these risks.
- There is a risk of downloading copyrighted materials for
which there can be severe legal ramifications. Federal law
provides criminal penalties of up to $250,000 in fines and 5
years in prison for first time copyright offenders, even if
no money changes hands during infraction.
- Network bandwidth abuse is a concern as most p2p
applications use any and all available bandwidth which can
effectively slow all other intranet and Internet use to a
crawl for both you and others on the network.
- Not getting the right file is a major concern. Illegal
types of material such as child pornography are often
distributed by renaming the file to a seemingly innocuous
name.
- Spyware & viruses are often distributed in a similar
fashion, either directly with installation of the software,
or as a file available on the file sharing network. These
can infect your computer, invade your privacy or can allow
your computer to be used by others without your consent.
They can be very difficult to remove.
- Producers of copyrighted music, movies and TV shows are
actively pursuing illegal downloaders on the UI campus.
- Computers found violating UI Policy may be removed from
the network.
Federal law requires the University take action when it is
notified someone on its network is distributing copyrighted
materials. The University will not protect faculty, staff or
students who distribute copyrighted material without license.
Most p2p programs by default have worldwide file sharing
enabled. This means users can find themselves in serious trouble
with the University and with copyright holders.
Sharing copyrighted materials without a license or permission
from the copyright holder can subject the user and the
University to legal sanctions. Most p2p programs automatically
share files from the user's disk to other users worldwide,
unless specific configuration changes are made by the user to
prevent this. Both bandwidth abuse and copyright abuse violate
the University’s
Acceptable Use Policy.
If you are a p2p user or otherwise engaged in file sharing
activities on the university's network, you should consider
removing the p2p applications from your system. If you choose
not to remove these applications, you should immediately
ensure your system is configured to not provide unlicensed
materials to other users. The
University of Chicago maintains a list of popular p2p
software applications and if possible, how to disable file
sharing. Please direct questions to your local Help Desk
staff and NOT to University of Chicago support staff.
Failure to restrict p2p applications appropriately can result
in a copyright violation which may result in a report being sent
to University Human Resources Management, the Dean of Students,
or the Provost's Office, as appropriate. Failure to remove
copyrighted material when notified or repeated copyright
violations will lead to disciplinary action within the
University, including immediate network disconnection.
Additionally, legal action may be taken against you by the
holder of the copyright for the material that was found on your
system.
If what you are downloading has value and you got it for
free, there is a high probability copyright law was
violated. Be safe and get your music from legal sources or under
open licensing, like the
Creative Commons License. Below is a list of popular
commercial services for listening, watching, ordering or
downloading music, movies, or TV shows (this is neither an
endorsement nor a complete list):
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