Guru Checkpoint 2 (Guen Han)

The BitTorrent client has been downloaded by millions of users, and it distributes files by breaking them down into many little pieces that users download and upload simultaneously. Because of this innovative approach to peer-to-peer sharing, files downloaded through BitTorrent are obtained quickly. In our hypothetical situation, Apple wants to start using the BitTorrent technology to distribute the products in the iTunes Store, particularly HD movies. After a great amount of research, consulting group 7 believes that Apple should make use of the BitTorrent technology to distribute its products. If Apple chooses to take our advice, we also have several suggestions and guidelines for Apple to follow so that this technology may be implemented successfully.

The legal, technological and economic aspects of our consideration are posted above this entry. This post will discuss the ethical side of Apple's potential use of BitTorrent. Here is a summary of a few of those questions that will be addressed in the final consulting report:

1. Users with BitTorrent have the ability to download files quickly partly because uploading is automatically built into the BitTorrent system. Because of this, running BitTorrent can take up a good deal of the memory on a user’s computer, sometimes enough so that the user cannot engage in common applications, like surf the Internet or play online games. Apple must evaluate whether it is right to force their customers to use up all their bandwidth and memory just to download a product from iTunes.

2. Even though BitTorrent is lauded for the rapidity of its downloads, this is not always the case. The speed at which a file downloads depends on factors such as the number of peers and the age of the file. In fact, BitTorrent can be slower than Apple downloads because of these factors. Apple must evaluate whether these customers should be forced to download their purchase with BitTorrent, or whether to offer an alternative mode of download, in cases such as these. If this is the case, Apple must also evaluate whether alternatives should be offered to only a few customers or to every customer. This is a complicated question, especially considering that Apple is dependent on a large number of peers in order for the BitTorrent file to download quickly.

3. The BitTorrent technology is universal. This means that anyone from anywhere in the world is allowed to download BitTorrent and use it to share files; because of this, oftentimes, BitTorrent users will be downloading pieces of a file from people from various locations around the globe, such as Japan, Germany, Canada, and France. However, iTunes purchases are only offered to customers in select countries. Apple should evaluate whether to broaden its offerings to other countries, since it is using a universal downloading client. This is also in their business interest to offer because they are dependent on more peers for speedier downloads.

4. Apple cannot easily control the speed at which their products download with the BitTorrent client, unless they allow non-customers also keep parts of the file on their computer. Apple must evaluate whether a move is ethical or not, especially in consideration of the licenses Apple has with movie and production companies. Apple must also consider whether it is right to use non-customers without giving them any benefit. In any case, Apple must consider whether it is ethical to profit at the expense of movie/production companies and other BitTorrent users.

5. Apple can protect products purchased through iTunes through DRM like Fairplay and allowing those who purchased the movie to connect to the tracker of the particular product. However, some argue that DRM technology restrict fair use rights. Because of this, an internal study shows that only 34% of BitTorrent’s current clientele would willingly switch to a legal option for obtaining its movies. Users from the remaining percentage of users cite that they want to be able to do anything they want with their purchased file, that is, watch it when they want to, where they want to, how they want to—acts that DRM restricts. Apple must evaluate how it can ethically balance demands from both their users and movie/production companies.

6. Apple must, of course, get the IP address of customers who purchase a product in order to release the file to be downloaded. Before doing so, Apple must consider what is an ethical amount of data/information to be gathered on their customers, and at what point it is an invasion of privacy (especially if Apple were trying to guarantee that their users are not using the movies illegally). This is especially relevant because there will be someone who will be able to break the DRM of their products. Apple must decide whether it is ethical to employ restrictions or other comparable measures to track this, and how this will affect the privacy of their customer base.

7. BitTorrent is open source technology, and thus, anyone can modify and distribute it. This could pose as a danger to Apple, but they must consider what rights they have over the technology and how much control they can have over the client (does Apple want to attempt to centralize BitTorrent so they have more control?). They must keep in mind that BitTorrent is used by millions of other non-customers too.

Sources:

NY Times
“File Sharing’s New Face”
“Television; Steal This Show”
“Keeping Moviegoers Away From the Dark Side”
“Media; Forget the Bootleg, Just Download the Movie Legally”
“A DVD Copy Protection Is Overcome by Hackers”
“Software Exploited by Pirates Goes to Work for Hollywood”

Tech Checkpoint 1 (Eric Hartzog)

So far I've done some more specific background reading on BitTorrent and I plan to consolidate the information which pertains to our discussion. I plan to find online, as well as test my own cases, of download speeds of different download mechanics, at this point BitTorrent vs traditional server-client structure.

I plan to focus my research more on performance, as well as the demand an increase in BitTorrent usage places on networks and personal computers and if those systems will be able to handle those loads.

At this point I don't believe the issues of maintaining and installing software, as well as different operating systems, will be a major issue in the discussion, as the question is primarily about the content distribution system used.

Legal Checkpoint 1 (Rachael Winchester)

This legal report will primarily involve avoiding potential lawsuits, which can be accomplished by looking at what other people did wrong.
Here are some issues of concern:
Centralization
- the case against Napster
- cases against decentralized sites

The case with Microsoft Vista

Vicarious copyright liability (could clients potentially use Itunes to share illegal material and if so would Itunes be held liable for their actions?)

I’m also investigating legal cases involving Bit Torrent sites that have been shut down:
- Finreactor
- Suprnova.org
- LokiTorrent
- EliteTorrents

Here are some sites that might be useful:

http://www.eff.org/
http://p2pnet.net/
http://www.nowpublic.com/tags/bittorrent/
http://news.lp.findlaw.com/legalnews/lit/mpaa/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4374222.stm

Business/Economic Checkpoint 1 (Mike Fischer)

This is Mike Fischer with the update from the Business/Ethical side of the project. As Guen mentioned, our group has looked at a couple articles in the New York Times and one in particular was very helpful. The article entitled "Software Exploited by Pirates Goes to Work for Hollywood" discusses Bittorrent's new program that will offer downloading of music and media files by using Bittorrent downloading. However, unlike Limewire or Imesh or some of the illegal downloading search engines, Bittorrent's new software is completely legal as people will be forced to pay for each thing they buy. Though there are many other similar places to download media files like Walmart.com and Movielink.com, Bittorrent's new software will enable the downloads to be done much faster. Financially, the two major issues that face Bittorrent are whether or not the iTunes users will leave to use Bittorrent and whether or not the illegal downloaders will start paying for files using Bittorrent's peer-to-peer software. These are two major opstacles as iTunes has sold more than a billion dollars of digital software and many people who are able to download illegally have no real motivation to begin paying for what they can get for free. However, Bittorrent believes they will be able to make a dent in the market and take some of these customers away from iTunes and help the huge piracy problem our Internet is littered with today. Bittorrent has taken in $30 million in ventured capital and plans to make their move soon. I will keep you all posted with how the Bottorrent project is able to move it's way into the illegal downloading market and become a legitimate competitor to iTunes.

Guru Checkpoint 1 (Guen Han)

This is Guen, group 7’s guru, ethicisit, and ombudsman. My duties are divided between leading/coordinating the group, considering the ethical components of the project, and compiling the final consulting report. Here is my plan for each of these tasks:

Group Coordination
I’ve already sent an email out to my group detailing our plan and requesting that each section be turned into me by noon this Saturday. As of now, we are well coordinated; everyone is doing his/her part without much trouble. I don’t particularly see a need for meeting since we are already well organized—basically, each person knows he/she must adequately research and write a report on their aspect of the project. Throughout, however, I will correspond with each group member on a regular basis to make sure all is going well. Of course, if it becomes clear that a meeting is necessary, I would gladly arrange it. For now, I let my group know that if they need any help with their sections, they can contact me.

Ethical Considerations
I have researched a bit for this component, and it seems that there aren’t very many obvious sources for this, especially since our situation is a hypothetical one. Thus, I decided to research BitTorrent’s history and how it relates to other corporations and file distribution instead. I have already found more than enough articles from the New York Times and Wired on this topic, but I will be sure to research from a few more sources too. In any case, I will have a write-up of all this research and the ethical considerations derived from it posted on this blog this Thursday.

Final Consulting Report
I did as much as I could with the consulting report for now. First, I found a “How To” on writing consulting reports:

http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/faculty/kristie.loescher/assignments/project%20report.htm

Then, I found sample consulting reports online so that I may have examples to work off when I make the final report for this project. Here are a few examples of reports I have found:

http://www.chessconsulting.org/services/samples/sample_management-report.pdf
http://nri.netraker.com/nrinfo/research/reports/exe_sum.pdf
http://www.ncpanet.org/pdf/sampleccr2006.pdf
http://web.mit.edu/ist/delivery/enterprint/moore.pdf
http://www.schallerconsult.com/pub/lowermn.pdf

I requested that everyone turn in their sections to me by noon on Saturday, March 3 because I anticipate that pulling all the sections together may take a while. First, I will make sure the text is adequate and that it flows—this will probably require extra research and writing on my part. Then, I will compile the final consulting report using Adobe InDesign to make it presentable and aesthetically pleasing.

That is all for now. Professor Forbes or Professor Grit, if you feel like I need to be doing more with any of my duties (especially “Ethical Considerations”), please let me know. Thank you.

Update:

Now that I have a better idea as to what I should do for the ethical considerations, I have set up a meeting with my group so that we can discuss these moral questions. Also, now my research will be more focused, since I have a better idea of the questions I am to answer.

BitTorrent Project

This blog will detail the progress made in the CompSci 82S/182S Torrent Project for Group 7 (Eric Hartzog, Rachael Winchester, Mike Fischer, and Guen Han).