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From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

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Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#31

Post by yardie »

nulagrithom wrote: post #27

> I had to be made an example of as a warning to all IT people who were intending to work in similar companies. That's scary. I'm supposed to police my employers actions? To some extent I can understand, but that puts a lot of IT people in awkward positions. Do Dropbox employees need to worry that infringing content is being taken down fast enough, lest the face prosecution? I didn't follow Megaupload too closely, so…

Not with Condi Rice on the board. I'm sure her appointment was strategic, but I've refused to use their services since then. My principles don't allow it.

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#32

Post by lostlogin »

ArkyBeagle wrote: post #17
coldcode wrote: post #9

Clearly our prison system in the US is terrible. Of course most other countries are even worse but you'd think we would be more civilized. It's also embarrassing that the only person they were able to put in jail was a simple programmer.

I don't know if it's available any more but there was a series on The History Channel ( from back when it had, y'know, history on it ) called "The Big House" with Paul Sorvino narrating that covers how this came to be. I realized a massive high school being built in my (then) home town had an architecture based on prison design. Not only were prisons a political innovation, but they had a lot to do with how architect…

Have you more info on this? That is a pretty amazing observation. Did you mention it to anyone?

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#33

Post by lostlogin »

rhino369 wrote: post #12
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #2

It's a little sad specifically his own government didn't provide him much help. Numerous other issues with the US aside, I've always been reasonably confident that if I'm out of the country, the American embassy will help me. And going after the IT staff is pretty awful. Generally speaking, we're just there to make it work. While I make a point to work jobs and clients I think do good work and are moral entities, the…

"Just following orders" is a bad defense when you have the option to just refuse and find another job. The terrible part is that Kim Dotcom has been able to avoid jail for the same crime this guy committed just because he has the money to fight.

The gross procedural violations and disgusting behaviour of our (New Zealand) government have helped his case at this point. The judiciary have taken a pretty dim view of John Key's teams' antics.

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#34

Post by fweespeech »

rhino369 wrote: post #12
ocdtrekkie wrote: post #2

It's a little sad specifically his own government didn't provide him much help. Numerous other issues with the US aside, I've always been reasonably confident that if I'm out of the country, the American embassy will help me. And going after the IT staff is pretty awful. Generally speaking, we're just there to make it work. While I make a point to work jobs and clients I think do good work and are moral entities, the…

"Just following orders" is a bad defense when you have the option to just refuse and find another job. The terrible part is that Kim Dotcom has been able to avoid jail for the same crime this guy committed just because he has the money to fight.

...except when those orders are to build something innocuous.

If someone told me to build some filesharing software and give it to them, making me responsible for the content is absurd. Its basically the legal equivalent of holding Dropbox developers responsible for piracy.

The only difference is Megaupload was public and blatant enough in English-speaking media (of which the programmer was not a native speaker) for Americans to say "Yes, he should have known what it is for."

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#35

Post by yardie »

ocdtrekkie wrote: post #2

It's a little sad specifically his own government didn't provide him much help. Numerous other issues with the US aside, I've always been reasonably confident that if I'm out of the country, the American embassy will help me. And going after the IT staff is pretty awful. Generally speaking, we're just there to make it work. While I make a point to work jobs and clients I think do good work and are moral entities, the…

the American embassy will help me.

They will send a consular to make sure you aren't being mistreated while being detained. They will give you a list of english speaking attorneys you can retain for your trial. They may even call your family back home to wire money to your english speaking trial lawyer.

That is about all the help you will get. For this "service" you are expected to file taxes to the US no matter where you work.

During the Yemen civil war while every other country was frantically evacuating their citizens the US did nothing. They did issue a warning saying you should probably leave. A lot of US Citizens, working in foreign aid, found out exactly how far the US was willing to go, not very far at all. Not like how the movies portrays it at all.

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#36

Post by TobbenTM »

cm3 wrote: post #28
nulagrithom wrote: post #27

> I had to be made an example of as a warning to all IT people who were intending to work in similar companies. That's scary. I'm supposed to police my employers actions? To some extent I can understand, but that puts a lot of IT people in awkward positions. Do Dropbox employees need to worry that infringing content is being taken down fast enough, lest the face prosecution? I didn't follow Megaupload too closely, so…

> Do Dropbox employees need to worry that infringing content is being taken down fast enough, lest the face prosecution? Not as long a Dropbox doesn't offend the wrong people.

Not as long Condoleezza Rice is on the board.

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#37

Post by ArkyBeagle »

lostlogin wrote: post #32
ArkyBeagle wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know if it's available any more but there was a series on The History Channel ( from back when it had, y'know, history on it ) called "The Big House" with Paul Sorvino narrating that covers how this came to be. I realized a massive high school being built in my (then) home town had an architecture based on prison design. Not only were prisons a political innovation, but they had a lot to do with how architect…

Have you more info on this? That is a pretty amazing observation. Did you mention it to anyone?

I did now :)

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#38

Post by ArkyBeagle »

ArkyBeagle wrote: post #14
ensiferum wrote: post #13

Crazy how the FBI has become the biatch of the american copyright mafia even to a degree of tromping and violating people's rights in other continents. GO USA! What exactly was the claim against this software eng? By this article it almost sounds like the FBI (guided by the copyright mafia) fabricated a case against some defenseless software dev just to gain more leverage on dotcom.

That's what the FBI does. I'm watching The Sopranos on Amazon Prime. Without the FBI doing this, that would have been a much shorter show. I doubt The Sopranos is reference grade, but I don't doubt that the bones of these plot elements are valid.

Some people need to be more careful about what they are offended by.

It's really worth studying the history of the FBI. Hoover basically blackmailed people who got in his way long enough for the general culture to get used to the idea - it was stridently opposed for a very long time.

It's a game. Hate the game, not the player.

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#39

Post by cm3 »

TobbenTM wrote: post #36
cm3 wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Do Dropbox employees need to worry that infringing content is being taken down fast enough, lest the face prosecution? Not as long a Dropbox doesn't offend the wrong people.

Not as long Condoleezza Rice is on the board.

Good point.

Re: From file-sharing to prison: A Megaupload programmer tells his story

#40

Post by jontas »

gcb0 wrote: post #6

why not a interview with fbi or the DA? the "reporter" dont even mention if they were reached for comment. yeah the little guy was screwed. we got that from the tittle.

This was an interview telling one person's side of the story, and it was presented that way I am all in favor of fair, honest and balanced reporting, but in this case I don't think anything was done incorrectly. This was not a "straight facts" piece, it was a subjective interview and clearly labeled as such.
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