Be careful where you point and click that thing – students using the NIU server to download copyrighted music are being monitored by the Net PD. If caught, a student could face a penalty as severe as expulsion.

The Net PD was hired by Sony Music to police those who illegally download copyrighted music files off the Internet (via file-sharing sites such as Aimster and Morpheus), and then identifies the Internet Service Provider (ISP).

The ISP allows the Net PD to look up the network address. From there, NIU’s Information Technology Services (ITS) is notified, which in turn seeks out the offender.

One concern on some people’s minds is that students’ privacy is being invaded.

“It definitely makes you rethink things,” said an NIU student who wishes to remain anonymous. “Is it worth getting in trouble for?

I fear that if doing something as simple as downloading music can be policed, what can’t?” said the student, who avidly downloads music off the NIU server.

ITS Security Manager Jason Richardson stressed that they only contact violators when notified by the Net PD.

“We are not monitoring students’ use of the Internet,” Richardson stressed. “Students are free to download MP3 files, but when people from outside the university are able to download their copyrighted files and we’re notified by the Net PD, that’s when we get involved.”

Violation of the policy can result in a reprimand, loss of access and possibly disciplinary or legal action (usually depending on the number of offenses). Most students who have been reprimanded don’t seem to be aware of NIU’s strict policy on the downloading of copyrighted music.

“Students don’t understand it is illegal and how it can be illegal,” said Nicole Rodriguez, NIU’s computer abuse investigator. “You can’t allow people to upload [share copyrighted music] from you.”

The sharing of music files began in May 1999 with the inception of Napster by Shawn Fanning, then a freshman at Northeastern University.

Napster allowed for music enthusiasts all over the world to share digital music files with other fellow Napster users. Napster would go on to become one of the most frequently-downloaded software applications in the history of the Internet, spawning numerous file-sharing Web sites.

Lawsuits brought forth by five major record companies as well as the Recording Artists Industry Association of America (RIAA) claimed the site was responsible for copyright infringement. The lawsuits halted file sharing and catapulted the story to newsrooms across the globe.

Napster reached a preliminary agreement in September with American songwriters and music publishers that allowed for them to license their music to Napster’s new membership-based service. Just when the new service will be launched remains to be seen. Napster is working on obtaining licenses for the music that will be featured on the file-sharing site. Until the launch of the new site, file sharing has been temporarily suspended.

According to the ITS Web site, at www.its.niu.edu, “authorized users have the right to expect reasonable privacy with regard to all computer files and e-mail.”

Privacy is ensured when authorized users follow the guidelines for acceptable use of NIU technology resources. Guidelines for acceptable use of these resources are “based on common sense, common decency and civility applied to the networked computer environment.”