University reporting students that use P2P software to police

Several college campuses across the United States have taken a hardened stance on student piracy this year due to new legislation, but one Georgia university has taken their crackdown a bit further than the rest. In fact, some may say they’re taking it too far.

Valdosta State University now has network software that will detect if students are using peer-to-peer software. The university then verifies the identities of the students and turns over the information to the authorities regardless of whether there was actually any illegal activity taking place.

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“Once individuals are identified, VSU hands responsibility over to police. Users can face felony punishments, including a possible prison sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to $250,000 per offense,” reports The Spectator, Valdosta’s student newspaper.

The University’s new policy is a result of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) which was passed in 2008 and officially took effect July, 1 2010. Under the legislation, schools must notify students about copyright infringement issues and use an approved deterrent on campus networks or risk losing federal funding.

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Of course, students have already found ways to evade detection of their file sharing activity. Ares, an older P2P platform, has been regaining popularity because built in encryption to circumvent the type of security Valdosta has installed.

I’ll admit that there is plenty of piracy that takes place on P2P networks, but it seems like a gross overreaction to report all users to law enforcement officials since the action of using such software is not, in itself, an illegal act. Not to mention that many police departments are already facing limited resources due to tight budgets. Does the school really expect them to investigate and prosecute these cases?

Sure, stealing is wrong, and students should be taught about it. But there has to be a better way than this.

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