Viacom: All your YouTube viewing data are belong to us

Davey Winder
Thursday, 03 July 2008 15:14

Business IT - Networking

The EFF has been quick to respond by insisting that "The Court's erroneous ruling is a set-back to privacy rights, and will allow Viacom to see what you are watching on YouTube. We urge Viacom to back off this overbroad request and Google to take all steps necessary to challenge this order and protect the rights of its users."

Let's hope that Google do not back down on this one, although that seems highly unlikely given the publicity it will generate if they do not.

The plain truth of the matter here is that the judge got it wrong. It is as simple as that. There is no evidence to suggest that my personal video viewing habits will help it determine nor deter potential copyright violations. There is no reason why Viacom should not follow the accepted rules of the game, as laid out in the US Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DCMA) which in essence say that you identify a violation, inform the provider, it gets removed.

Unless, that is, this is more about the money than the principle. Unless, that is, this is more about fighting new technology with fists rather than understanding and innovation of its own. Viacom appear to have waged war on YouTube, and like any battle there will be innocent victims: in this case it looks like the first casualty is going to be user privacy.

Sleep soundly in the knowledge that if you have ever watched a pirated clip from a TV show, music video, movie then Viacom will soon know about it. If you have ever watched an adult clip, likewise. If you have ever watched Home and Away or Neighbours, ditto. It really does not bear thinking about...