Senator’s Antipiracy Idea Is Vigilantism
Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) now advocates destroying your computer if you download copyrighted material without permission. (“Deep-Six Computers to Sink Net Pirates?” June 18)
“I’m all for destroying their machines,” Hatch said.
It would be illegal for the government to carry out such a scheme, but the copyright holders themselves could be exempt from liability for damage to your private property and incidental losses because of data loss. Imagine you have a month’s worth of hard work on your laptop and your son borrows it. He downloads a Britney track and “poof,” all gone with no legal recourse.
They have a word for such rough and ready private justice: vigilantism. Some might call it the electronic frontier, but I think it’s a poor idea for the settlers to take the law into their own hands.
Michael Bryan
Tucson
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