YouTube ordered to handover user data

Posted by Abhijith as Uncategorized


“Google must hand over all the information contained in its logging database, including the login ID of the users who have watched videos, the time they started to watch the video, users’ IP address, and the video identifier.”

This is part of a running $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube/Google by Viacom, a company in the entertainment business also making TV shows. Viacom is suing YouTube for hosting its copyright content(TV programmes).

I don’t have any comments on the case, because the users don’t care what they upload and monitoring every video for copyright infringement is next to impossible, so I will wait for the decision to arrive.

What concerns me most is that YouTube will have to handover all this user data - notwithstanding the fact that Viacom will have to use it only for matters dealing with the case, i.e. study piracy on YouTube - and it sets a precedent for what can be used against you.

The very fact that a there is solid proof of me watching some video in the past - can be used against me - or target me in some form - is not good. This could mean stumbling upon a copyrighted video, or watching a politically insensitive video and sharing it or even something like watching a video about my boss- my boss could take some action against me for watching them!

The handing over of this data shows that all our online activities are being monitored - meaning that every email sent, every chat we’ve had, every link clicked - and more importantly, every file downloaded, is being logged somewhere and if someone gets their hands on(say by a similar legal action) it, we will be, needless to say, be made penniless.

YouTube/Google have to hand over some 12 Terabytes of data - things can overturn in the near future in this case - but the outcome will write another entry into the definition of copyright infringement and fair use of copyrighted material. Watch this legal dispute very closely. It will affect all of us in a profound manner. Of course, the internet-privacy groups are up in arms.

Links:

  1. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7488009.stm and http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7488268.stm
  2. http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2324635,00.asp
  3. http://news.cnet.com/8301-10784_3-9983702-7.html and http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-9983631-36.html
  4. http://news.google.com/nwshp?hl=en&ned=us&ncl=1225624464

refback: http://abhijith1729.blogspot.com/2008/07/youtube-ordered-to-handover-user-data.html

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July 4, 2008 | Filed Under Uncategorized 

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