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bluesky - Re: User Anonymity

bluesky AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Global-Scale Distributed Storage Systems

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  • From: hal AT finney.org
  • To: bluesky AT franklin.oit.unc.edu
  • Subject: Re: User Anonymity
  • Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2001 23:56:28 -0800


Wei writes:
> Entanglement is not really a viable defense since the censor can
> always require you to remove the data regardless of whether it's
> entangled.

Another possible defense is that the material being stored is not
the copyrighted data, but scrambled bits. Mojo Nation appeared to
be considering a similar approach, according to the Oct 28 article at
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0,,26347,00.html:

The companyÕs defence lies in the Digital Millennium Copyright Act,
which states that Internet service providers cannot be held liable
for their usersÕ activities as well as the way the software works.

Instead of carrying whole files at a time, Mojo NationÕs software
breaks down files into encrypted bite-size pieces which, like
flat-pack furniture, are only reassembled once they reach their
destination. Transporting files in this way not only makes it easier
for users with less powerful computers to download big files, but
also means the company is distributing encrypted data rather than
content which can be subject to copyright laws.

I doubt that this would hold up in court though. The copyright holder
would argue that the information is there and can be recovered by end
users; the details of how it is stored should not matter. You'd have
to look at the specifics of how the laws are worded to be sure.

Hal




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