FUD is probably the best way to stop people from sharing files, uncertain and unsure they might just let it be.

Although i dont dl at school cuz i dont want to get screwed by the riaa i just do it when i get home.

I called them to STICK IT TO `EM.

I do know that we can access the ed2k network… great, not so hot these days. I do know that my friend down the hall got his internet disconnected without a warning because of World of Warcraft’s auto-updater patching his game

Basically I know it’s fucked up when I have to use an outside network to get uncrippled internet access

fear tactics tend to wear off after awhile, and that is mainly because they are based around what i like to call HYPE. hype is anything that is ballooned up to be bigger than it actually is, just so we the people will get all freaked out when we see it. believe it or not, not all of us are dumbasses, and we know not to download programs that have what’s known as “piggyback” programs installed along with them. spyware exists for a reason, and the main reason it exists is so the riaa and mpaa can keep tabs on who is downloading what, and who has or has not paid for it.

and uncertainty NEVER works, because in case anyone has noticed, the times we live in today are EXTREMELY uncertain. we literally do not know what will happen tomorrow, not like we ever really did, of course. using uncertainty as a “tactic” is like telling someone, “a giant elephant is coming right behind you!”, when they’re standing on a sidewalk in the middle of new york city. what’s the likelihood that there would even BE an elephant? slim to none, that’s what.

and as for using “doubt” as an offensive tactic, that’s not going to work either. let me explain why. i don’t doubt that what i have installed on my computer are full versions of programs that i make DAMN sure do not have spyware that install along with them, and if they do, then i look around until i find versions that do not. i don’t just blindly install whatever on my computer, without using my freaking brain. i learned that lesson a LONG time ago.

so, in short, stop being so damned noobish when it comes to what you do on your computer. stop and THINK about what you’re doing, and don’t keep files you download in certain directories on your computer where you won’t remember where they are. that’s just plain dumb.