Outlawed at Ohio U: P2P file sharing

Ohio University has become the latest college to crack down on file sharing.

The school announced this week that it would restrict the use of all peer-to-peer file sharing on the campus computer network.

"The network is a shared resource, and we must ensure that it is available to all users," Chief Information Officer Brice Bible said in a news release. "Peer-to-peer file-sharing consumes a disproportionate amount of resources, both in bandwidth and human technical support."

College students are some of the most prolific users of P2P sites, and record industry officials have attempted to crack down on the spread of these networks on campuses.

The move was predictably met with derision by most bloggers, who claimed the reasoning was specious and said students would just find a way around it.

Blog community response:

"It's a sad statement of the times that an institution designed for educating and learning about new things would decide to completely shut off any use of powerful technologies that have plenty of perfectly legitimate uses just because some backwards industry group can't figure out how to change its outdated business models."
--Techdirt

"So there; you'll have to download pirated porn or DVD rips via your parents connection when home on break."
--Broadband Reports

"If they're going to make an ethical argument, they need to clearly demonstrate the ethics involved. 'Students pirate' is not something that simply needs to be accepted as a matter of common understanding. I don't think administrators generally give students enough credit about their decision-making capabilities or rationales."
--Copy This Blog

[jelloburn]

Ha! Legitmate uses...

Being a college student myself, I know that nobody in the dorms
(when I was still living in them) used P2P for legitimate, legal
downloads. What a sad cop out. While I agree that the music and
motion picture industries' businesse models might be outdated,
it still is breaking the law no matter how you look at it.

The college is just protecting itself. If there are institutions on
the campus that have legitimate uses for P2P, I'm sure they
would be able to petition IT to get around the block.

College is a place where you should be growing up and
becoming a productive member of society. Pirating movies,
programs, games, and music doesn't fall into the "productive"
category.

And finally, Ohio State University does own their network, and it
is being provided to the students who enroll there, but I bet the
students sign an agreement when they enroll that says the usage
of network resources is a privelege and not a right. If it's that big
of a deal, live off-campus and use your own connection.

[pepe345]

Its not Ohio State.

Its Ohio University. Big difference!
But don't get me started on that...

[cjovalle]

Yes, legitimate uses.

There are many questionable uses of P2P software.
There are also legitimate uses, and legitimate uses of P2P technologies are growing. Even in dorms.