Without giving it as much thought or research as I might have liked, and notwithstanding any sort of larger concerns about whether the FCC really has lawful authority to enforce such regulations, I signed the Electronic Frontier Foundation’s “Real” Network Neutrality petition advocating that the FCC close a loophole in its proposed rules that would exempt traffic suspected of transmitting illegal copies of copyrighted materials. While I certainly do not condone intellectual property theft, I see other issues at stake: Just as I would not want to be pulled over on the highway by the private police of the publishing industry in order for them to search my trunk for illegal photocopies of any, oh, I don’t know, Alfred North Whitehead books that I might be transporting*, I do not want the entertainment industry to be able to force my ISP sniff my Internet traffic looking for suspected copyright violations without probable cause and other due process protections. That precedent opens the door to all manner of unwarranted intrusions.
Then again, I probably should not be signing petitions (or at least writing about doing so) while still dehydrated and dull from 4 days of viral gastroenteritis. Apologies to all 2 readers of my blog for this incoherent post.
*My one and only copy of Process and Reality was purchased legally at Paul’s Book Store in Madison, Wisconsin.