| How do you think the US
government's actions concerning piracy will change over
the next year? |
| We can safely
assume it depends mostly upon how much government funding
those organizations authorized to make arrests are given.
Believe it or not going after individuals does cost
money, which comes from tax payers like you and me.
Knowing the United States government, much like that of
any other country - for those parties to make any kind of
serious nation wide move similar to cyberstrike, (whose
effects some of us are still feeling now) would require
SERIOUS urging by SPA/PAP type organizations who in their
search for "justice for the catalysts of the
software industry" really end up paving the way for
the pirates of tomorrow. History has proven time and
again that rebellion strives under tyrannical rule; you
try toshut these guys down and they just organize,
strategize and hit you in your pockets harder from deeper
underground. As far as prosecution goes, we'll just have
to wait and see. I'm sure the ignorance (and perhaps
stupidity)of certain federal agencies will lead to
small-time pirates/bootleggers going down on trumped up
charges in an attempt to make an example of them. |
| |
| Who will be the first to be
convicted under the new laws and how will this group of
people react? |
| Chances are,
ISPs will tighten up security, preventing web pages
supporting piracy from even going up in the first place.
I maintain my belief that F.A.'s really don't know much
about how the active pirate/bootlegging operations
function, so we'll see a lot of traders and average joe's
getting picked up and sensationalized. Main targets will
most likely remain those who profit personally by selling
copies of software/music to the public (you know who you
are; heed the warnings). |
| |
| What effect will these
convictions have on the rest of the scene? |
| Some will
run, some will hide, some will become more defiant. This
may sound a bit sadistic, but a large scale bust every
couple of years is beneficial to the OVERALL scene and
paves the way for the greater good. Often times, things
get out of hand, and what should be underground becomes
public and commercialized to some extent. Put the fear of
God in some of these big-headed group-leaders with their
commercialized groups and you see scene 'values' change
and revitalize. Those who once sold commemorative cds and
similar memorabilia via their shockwave enhanced publicly
accessible webpages, are now scared for their lives so
they inevitably close up shop. |
| |
| How is the warez scene
going to be different a year from now because of the NET
act? |
We can only
hope we'll see fewer 'warez offer-channels' on IRC
networks. We may see groups become more secretive and/or
sysops/siteops more security minded. But in all honesty
and realistically, don't expect to see many noticeable
changes. Europe and Canada/South America will go
unaffected; so don't look for the gears of progress to
stop just because of some law written on paper and the
busts of a few insignificants.
|
| |
| Will there be any positive
effects on the scene? |
I think I
mentioned those above in my response to question #3.
|
| |
| How will the NET act effect
you personally? |
| Life goes on
for me. If I choose to continue my activities in the
scene, be assured I WILL continue them; within reason of
course which is dictated by my better judgement. After
all, besides being able to try out software we would
otherwise never have the opportunity to even look at, we
are also driven by the fact that we are in defiance of
the law and are pushing the boundaries. We've got 10
million active Robin Hoods and 20 million more who aren't
even aware they're part of the cycle. |
| |
| What advice would you give
to people in the warez scene about the NET act? |
Do not
DISREGARD it. The key is self-education. If you
understand that which threatens you, it no longer becomes
a threat; because via proper analyzation you are able to
make rational decisions and decide for yoursslf exactly
what risks you want to take and are able to take. So hit
the web and search for online resources, read the
paper/listen to the news - browse online publications
like Scenelink and similar webzines which open forums of
discussion on these topics. Be sure to understand that
for the vast majority of you, when your interest in the
scene is long gone, you will want to be able to continue
with the fulfillment of your life; be it a carreer or a
family or whatever. Don't curb that destiny by doing
stupid shit in the pursuit "cyberpower". These
kids run around in the scene like they ownsome shit or
like they are respected and their lives now have meaning.
Well that fame and power you may hold is fleeting, and
when it's gone and the swelling in your head has ceased
you may very well find yourself flat on your ass trying
to get other facets of your life back in order. It's only
a hobby, keep it fun and non-profit. Good luck to you all
in the future.
|