Are students really abusing Ruckus?
The Recording Industry Association of America, Student Government Association and Ruckus say there are many people currently abusing the service, and that it might affect the availability of future such services on campus.
The problem I have with Friday's shocking expos+â-¬ about this is that the abuse is so loosely defined as to include nearly every person who wants to actually use the service in a meaningful way. To compound this, there is absolutely no way of measuring to what extent the services are being abused. It's all about perception.
Ruckus "abuse" is one of the many examples in the new digital era of companies setting unreasonable limits on their customers.
The campus computing agreement functions similarly. Ever seen the Saturday Night Live: Lazy Sunday video on YouTube over a campus internet connection? You've abused Ball State's electronic resources. SNL: Lazy Sunday is copyrighted by NBC, and what you did was illegal. Using the campus connection to acquire illegal materials is against the agreement.
It doesn't matter that the material was initially part of a widely distributed free broadcast. It doesn't matter that you are in the majority. It doesn't matter that you didn't have malice in your heart when you did it.
You are a criminal. Get in your cell. Kindly attach your shackles and chains to the wall.
This kind of situation is what happens in an era where companies are afraid of technology. They make bad decisions, which only hurt their paying customers, based on perceived threats to their livelihood.
Pirates don't care at all about copyright or Digital Rights Management protection. They download whatever they like, without digital restrictions on how it may be used. They don't use services like Ruckus in the first place because the digital black market delivers what they want so spectacularly.
In the case of music, it should be noted that the digital black market delivers what they want months before legitimate release.
If students were as disrespectful of property as is being purported there would not be a single soul on Ruckus. Everybody on campus would simply be sailing to the internet pirate harbor du jour for all their music needs.
Any use of Ruckus at all, by any group of students, shows at least a passing interest in staying on the legal side of things. Because this is the case, the DRM measures employed by Ruckus serve only to harm the people trying to use the service in a legitimate way.
As students, we need to stand up and say that we are not doing anything untoward or harmful. We are respectful of the property of other people, and we will not stand for this "guilty until proven otherwise" treatment that is so popular now in the age of digital media. We need to defend our position that we are trying to use Ruckus, but Ruckus and the RIAA are being unreasonable.
As customers, we have the power. We can take our business elsewhere if we don't like the way things are going. If Ruckus has a problem with the way the service is being used then maybe Ruckus can take a hike.
The SGA, instead of admonishing students for "abusing" Ruckus should be working with the students and backing what students want. That's what the SGA was doing in the first place by fighting for such a service.
Why are they turning their backs on the students whom they are representing now that what they fought for is here?
John Rozewicki is a junior telecommunications and Japanese major and writes 'Supreme Narcissism' for the Daily News. His views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to John at jjrozewicki@notarrogant.com.
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