The web site belonging to the Recording Industry Association of America has been offline since January 24th. The site has been the victim of several defacements and denial-of-service attacks in the past few months. The FBI is currently investigating.

I have disliked the RIAA and its corrupt corporate attitudes since I was old enough to read interviews with some of my favorite musicians. I am a huge fan digital music distribution, and I find it painful to watch the RIAA try and save its dying industry through endless litigations against the march of technology.

Having said all this, however, I feel that this action against the organization is equally detestable. The individuals that are behind these attacks are obviously highly intelligent: do they think their actions will help to win public support for file-sharing services? Freedom of speech issues aside, I ask how this makes the Anti-RIAA lobby look?

Whoever you are, please realize that you are giving the US government, and indeed all governments, another excuse to enforce tighter controls on the Internet. In the end, we all lose.  more...

29 January 2003  |   permalink