On the topic of last week's discussion (social control and censorship), I came across an article about how the interception and recording of internet traffic was detected on the internet connection of the Megaupload.com founder who goes by the pseudonym Kim Dotcom.
Kim Dotcom is a big name in the computer industry, especially among the sharing community primarily for his founding of the file hosting and sharing site Megaupload.com. The site was blocked by the US using DNS blocks and the site was later permanently taken down by the New Zealand government. Kim Dotcom is currently in a large legal battle with New Zealand and even the US (who wants him extradited).
The article explains how Dotcom's internet connection may have been monitored much earlier than earlier claimed. Regardless of how you feel about Dotcom's website and business model, it is clear that illegal monitoring of any connection is wrong. The New Zealand Government Communications Security Bureau is currently under investigation for admitted illegal spying. This is something that Dotcom may be able to use to his advantage in his legal battles, so it goes to show the breaking the rule doesn't always pay - even if you are the government.
There are a couple great points made here and I would like to offer some follow up thoughts. I believe there are two cases here surrounding the sites business and the ensuing investigations. First, Megaupload.com's founder may have to defend him or herself from being extradited by the U.S. because the business model allowed for a tremendous amount of copyright infringement. The U.S. prosecutors have a strong case, for a powerful industry.
ReplyDeleteThis is separate from the investigation into the New Zealand government agency which allegedly spied illegally on the internet connection. This is a problem that would be difficult to defend against for ".com" owners and users. It seems that governments have a clear upper-hand in acquiring information.