What do Bruce Springsteen and the Congressional Ethics Committee have in common? Both appear to have been victimized by improper or illegal computer downloads.
(Courtesy of Danny Clinch / Shore Fire Media)Photos (1 of 1)
Oops! File-sharing foul-up leaks ethics dirt on lawmakers
By Peter Grier | 10.30.09
What do Bruce Springsteen and the Congressional Ethics Committee have in common?
Most of the time, very little. One is a seminal rock artist who thrills millions worldwide. The other is not.
But on Friday, a secret summary of recent ethics-panel activity leaked to the media, apparently through a publicly accessible computer network. The document revealed that the committee has been scrutinizing the actions of more than 30 lawmakers for possible rule violations.
And that means that members of the Ethics Committee – just like Springsteen, and pretty much every other popular musician – have been victimized by improper or illegal computer downloads, according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
This shows why Congress needs to enact new controls on peer-to-peer software to block the wrongful exchange of digitized music, or other intellectual property, said Mitch Bainwol, RIAA chairman.
“It’s now happening [in] Congress’s backyard, and that should be a powerful catalyst to enact real reforms to protect consumers,” said Mr. Bainwol in response to the leak of the ethics-panel report.
OK, this may be a stretch. But association executives use what comes their way to try to push their agenda.
The secret congressional document was saved on the hard drive of the home computer of a low-level ethics-panel staff member. That staff member also had peer-to-peer software on the computer. He did not realize the report could be downloaded in this manner, but he was fired anyway.
Peer-to-peer software allows computer network users to exchange files between themselves, without having to download them from a central server. It is much more commonly used by those who want to illegally share music files – an activity that has cut deeply into music-industry revenues.
• Associated Press material was used in this report.
—–
Follow us on Twitter.
<< Bush as motivational speaker: He’s no Terry Bradshaw | MainComments
Leave a Comment
We do not publish all comments, and we do not publish comments immediately. The comments feature is a forum to discuss the ideas in our stories. Constructive debate - even pointed disagreement - is welcome, but personal attacks on other commenters are not, and will not be published.
Tip: Do not write a novel. Keep it short. We will not publish lengthy comments. Come up with your own statements. This is not a place to cut and paste an email you received. If we recognize it as such, we won't post it.
Please do not post any comments that are commercial in nature or that violate copyrights.
Finally, we will not publish any comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence.
Jimmy Orr has worked in politics for the majority of his professional career working for two U.S. Senators, two Governors and one President. Most recently, Orr served as White House Spokesman and Internet Director for President George W. Bush and Special Advisor to Governor Schwarzenegger for Internet Communications.
David Cook is Washington bureau chief of The Christian Science Monitor and host of the Monitor's newsmaker breakfasts. He was the Monitor's editor from 1994 to 2001. Cook is a graduate of Principia College, served in the U.S. Army, was a Bagehot Fellow at Columbia University, and is a member of the Gridiron Club, Washington's oldest journalistic organization.
