Google Fiber Sends Automated Piracy ‘Fines’ to Subscribers

H

HardOCP News

[H] News
Joined
Dec 31, 1969
Messages
0
It seems Google has now automated the process of accusing you of piracy, finding you guilty and handing out fines for your misdeeds. They'll be sending a self-driving car over to pick up the check.

Google Fiber is forwarding copyright infringement notices to its subscribers including controversial and automated piracy fines. Through these notices, rightsholders demand settlements of up to hundreds of dollars. Google's decision to forward these emails is surprising, as the company generally has a good track record of protecting consumer interests.
Click to expand...
 
I figured it'd only be a matter of time before Google gave people a reason to NOT want those huge pipes to their homes.
 
That won't last. Automated fines based on accusations is just waiting for a legal battle.
 
Well now... Google is giving the RIAA more ideas...
 
Steve said:
It seems Google has now automated the process of accusing you of piracy, finding you guilty and handing out fines for your misdeeds. They'll be sending a self-driving car over to pick up the check.
Click to expand...

If you cared to read the article, it isn't so much finding you guilty in a "legal" sense, but just offering you a pre-negotiated settlement to stay out of court.
 
And that's why I never wanted Google Fiber in the first place.. I'm happy with my local ISP which they provide fiber to the home.
 
Yeah, so um, pay for the things that you're downloading and this is totally not a problem. Most of the junk people are using without paying for (yeah, i phrased it that way so you hair-splitters that have an issue with derailing things by arguing about "stealing" can't divert discussion into a debate about what Merriam-Webster uses as a definition for that word) aren't really doing more than avoiding very small amounts of money. Like really, music and movies aren't even a necessity and they're not expensive even for people with like low class incomes that waste their money on booze, tobacco, cable TV, camo clothing, and cell phones while complaining about how poor they are. Yeah, even they can afford to purchase usage rights if they wanted (or had some self control over their spending).
 
CreepyUncleGoogle said:
Yeah, so um, pay for the things that you're downloading and this is totally not a problem. .
Click to expand...
Really?

How does google know if I'm stealing or downloading a legal copy? I have MP3's raw from Amazon which if I move around would look like I'm stealing a rip.

How about my personal rips? I am suppose to be able to make a digital backup but beyond that, its ridiculous that if I buy music like in CD and if I want a digital copy to use for convenience, I have to pay again? Different format, pay again? If I paid already, as long as a I use one copy at a time for my personal use, they can go to fucking themselves if they have a problem with that.
 
jpm100 said:
Really?

How does google know if I'm stealing or downloading a legal copy? I have MP3's raw from Amazon which if I move around would look like I'm stealing a rip.

How about my personal rips? I am suppose to be able to make a digital backup but beyond that, its ridiculous that if I buy music like in CD and if I want a digital copy to use for convenience, I have to pay again? Different format, pay again? If I paid already, as long as a I use one copy at a time for my personal use, they can go to fucking themselves if they have a problem with that.
Click to expand...

That's a good set of questions that you'll have to ask the service provider, but since it's Google, I'm pretty sure that they at least have pretty good records of what you've been doing and know if you've made a purchase or not so that the data they analyze in-flight can be correlated to a prior legitimate purchase. But then again, you'd really have to talk with them about that sorta thing. I'd bet they're keeping good tabs on the data flowing across their network and breaking into encryption where necessary.
 
So judge jury and executioner is corporations now, just take the fine receipt and move along citizen. Fifth element anyone?

Why would Google do this? It's like a bullet to the head, no mentally stable person one wants to be monitored and enslaved like that.
 
Wierdo said:
So judge jury and executioner is corporations now, just take the fine receipt and move along citizen. Fifth element anyone?

Why would Google do this? It's like a bullet to the head, no mentally stable person one wants to be monitored and enslaved like that.
Click to expand...

edit: [Strike=Option]one[/s]
 
kirbyrj said:
If you cared to read the article, it isn't so much finding you guilty in a "legal" sense, but just offering you a pre-negotiated settlement to stay out of court.
Click to expand...

Translation: Extortion/blackmail.
 
Wierdo said:
So judge jury and executioner is corporations now, just take the fine receipt and move along citizen. Fifth element anyone?

Why would Google do this? It's like a bullet to the head, no mentally stable person one wants to be monitored and enslaved like that.
Click to expand...

Enslavement might be a little over the top. No one is being forced to use Google as a service provider. The only stuff you really can't avoid with Google (at least not very well) is their advertisement based tracking that happens on partner websites and any robo-mining they do of data on public-facing websites where you might leave bits of your information through routine use. All of their other products and services you can mostly avoid.
 
wizzi01 said:
Lol go ahead and keep telling yourself that.
Click to expand...

If piracy = theft, then why call it "piracy"? Why not just call it theft? They are obviously not the same things.

Whenever something is pirated, it doesn't mean that it would have been purchased if it weren't pirated. A pirated song/movie/game/etc does not always equal a lost sale - in most instances, it would not have been purchased anyways.
 
xIronCrossx said:
Piracy isn't right no matter how much you try to justify it.
Click to expand...

As the piracy ad used to put it "You wouldn't download a car"

Actually, if they ever develop Star-Trek type replicators, I would download a car :)
 
What proof is Google offering that you are doing what they are accusing you of? Considering this is civil and not criminal, what recourse other than suing them do you have? Or will they escalate this to a criminal matter if you don't pay up.
 
It's only a matter of time before someone creates a way to legally download a metric ton of stuff, and share it, that is done in a legal manner and then flip this on Google (or any other ISP that does the same, where there are a few.)
 
Those aren't really fines, but settlement demands supposedly from content rights holders. They are pretty scary to receive and I can see some people paying them. I received one several months ago and just deleted it. Apparently some ISPs don't bother to forward them to their customers, but what good does hiding info from their customers about third party accusations do? Maybe parents should know that their kids are downloading porn torrents.
 
Google's decision to forward these emails is surprising, as the company generally has a good track record of protecting consumer interests.
Click to expand...

tumblr_mc65aoAStt1qawv0yo1_500.jpg
 
Raudulfr said:
TIL that correcting ignorant people is the same as justifying something.


The more you know™.
Click to expand...

Oh please. People who aren't for piracy/don't care about it aren't going to go around correcting others. No need to be so naive. Pirates use the definitions to try to make it seem less wrong ("It's not theft so it's not bad!").
 
gnzblz said:
If piracy = theft, then why call it "piracy"? Why not just call it theft? They are obviously not the same things.
Click to expand...

'Piracy' is a legal definition of a kind of theft. Specifically, the unauthorized use or reproduction of another's work.

I wont pretend that the damages claimed by the RIAA/MPAA are not absurd ($75 trillion for Limewire, for example), but given how widespread piracy is I think its ridiculous pretend there's no meaningful harm. Claiming that 'they wouldn't have bought it anyway' is childish and wrong.
 
Jospeh said:
Piracy isn't theft no matter how loud you scream it is.
Click to expand...

It's theft of labor. When you pirate Avatar you arent stealing the 1's and 0's that comprise the film in mp4 format, you are stealing all the hours and effort that went into constructing those 1's and 0's for you to use. No different than if you refused to pay the guy who built your house.
 
I wonder how services like Pandora, DI, podcasts, etc. Will be treated, since music can be listened to for free alone on these sites.
 
Kueller said:
ftfy
'Stealing' implies someone has been deprived of their property. That is not the case with digital duplication.
Click to expand...

So what would you call it if you didnt receive a paycheck this week and your boss just said "i didn't steal anything from you"?
 
McFry said:
It's theft of labor. When you pirate Avatar you arent stealing the 1's and 0's that comprise the film in mp4 format, you are stealing all the hours and effort that went into constructing those 1's and 0's for you to use. No different than if you refused to pay the guy who built your house.
Click to expand...

Do you work for the RIAA? No it is not theft. No it is not theft of labor. Stop calling it things that it isn't.
 
JSClark said:
I wonder how services like Pandora, DI, podcasts, etc. Will be treated, since music can be listened to for free alone on these sites.
Click to expand...

It's not free. Pandora pays for right to broadcast those songs. The only reason you dont pay is because Pandora makes money inserting advertisements between songs, and has premium accounts with unlimited listen caps. I think pandora limits free accounts to 40 hours per month.
 
There's so much wrong with that I don't even know where to begin.

Firstly this is a profit driven process which Google punishes you when they find out you're pirating. Why? How is this a good idea besides making Google better at catching you pirating?

Secondly we live in a day in age where we encourage you to use Wifi. So a friend or relative comes over and you let them use your awesome Google Fiver. Except they're using their smart phones to torrent that new Avengers movie. Uh oh says Google, time to pay up.

Finally, what right does Google have to fine you for pirating someone else work? Does Google give them the money instead?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top