# Hey, Dex (and other mods) - is filesharing really worse than legalizing hard drugs? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 7, 2005, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322 "2005-03-07T06:14:34Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Taber](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ac91a4/32.png) [@Taber](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taber)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 12:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/21 "2005-03-08T00:12:16Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > That would be counterproductive, seeing as how it would heat the water… :dubious: > > re: the OP, is there a difference between discussions of legalizing drugs and legalizing filesharing in that the drug discussions tend to focus on the legalizing process and not get into discussion of how to do actually illegal things, whereas discussions on filesharing tend to have side-topics on how to share files (“Well, once they legalize it, going to [this site](this site) and downloading their FileRipper2006 won’t be a crime.”)? your link’s broken. ---
**Author:** ![Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f04885/32.png) [@Ninja\_Pizza\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ninja_Pizza_Guy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/22 "2005-03-08T01:58:36Z")
> [@Lord Ashtar](#): > > [Maybe not a PC…](http://www.passyourdrugtest.com/old-mac.htm) I’m going to remember this for the next round of mac vs pc. ---
**Author:** ![LeeshaJoy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@LeeshaJoy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LeeshaJoy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 2:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/23 "2005-03-08T02:20:59Z")
> [@Ninja Pizza Guy](#): > > I’m going to remember this for the next round of mac vs pc. Which side will you use that to support? ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/24 "2005-03-08T12:36:17Z")
Agreed that there is a fuzzy grey area. What’s clearly permitted: discussion about the reasons behind a law, whether the law should be repealed, morality vs justice, etc. What’s clearly not permitted: how-to manuals, instruction guides, hints on how to evade the law, etc. Then there’s all the stuff that’s in-between, and agreed there’s not a clear-cut definition. For some illegal activities, like drugs, the question of “how to obtain them” is not allowed, while a discussion about the health dangers of mixing cocaine with oatmeal might be… as long as it stayed in the theoretical realm of health. The problem with laws relating to computers (like stealing copyrighted material) is that usually the discussion that starts out questioning the legality winds up with someone posting a link. You can’t get illegal drugs just by clicking on a link; but you can just click on a link to download music that is not in public domain, or to see a film clip, or whatever. Hence, we tend to be stricter in enforcement of computer-related laws. We also tend to be more strict about things like copyright laws. Laws have not kept pace with technology, but the Chicago READER doesn’t want its material being used by others without permission, and so we do not want people on our boards using copyrighted material without permission (except within “fair usage.”) This is basically doing unto others as we want them to do unto us. I’m kind of surprised that I came down against discussions on morality/ethics, I’d like to see the entire context of that quote. ---
**Author:** ![Charlie\_Tan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/charlie_tan/32/12582_2.png) [@Charlie\_Tan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Charlie_Tan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/25 "2005-03-08T20:04:21Z")
Well, there’s a link in the OP, and I gladly admit that I was writing borderline legal stuff, though I thought it was safe, as I didn’t give any specific details. I seldom read the drug threads, as the topic doesn’t interest me much and legal issues vary greatly from country to country. Copyright is international, though and the laws are pretty much the same all over. Laws and lawmakers aren’t keeping up and the latest stunt in my country, was 2 000 people who filed charges against the Swedish arm of RIAA for invasion of privacy (trying to find out if someone uploads stuff, by using fileshare software themselves). Cops and courts don’t really know what to do about it. I think the whole way creative work is being distributed and paid for will be changed shortly. The copyright thieves will always be one step ahead of the law, and thus, I think it’s an interesting topic to debate. Thanks for the clarification. I feel I’m done here. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/26 "2005-03-08T21:11:12Z")
> [@](#): > > A discussion about the morality/ethics of an illegal action is not one that I’d care to allow on these boards. That quote was in the context of someone saying that they intended to break the law because they thought the law was inconsistently enforced. I did NOT want to allow a discussion of whether it is morally OK to break that particular law just because **you think** there are inconsistencies in that law. The law is what it is, and the READER does not condone discussions of evasion. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2005, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/27 "2005-03-08T23:47:07Z")
> [@The Gaspode](#): > > Copyright is international, though and the laws are pretty much the same all over. Meh. Not so much. In Canada, for example, current jurisprudence suggests that p2p filesharing is entirely legal. That’s right, I can fire up a BitTorrent client and download to my heart’s content, and I haven’t violated copyright law in any way whatsoever. And I can upload, too. Still no violation. I wouldn’t expect any thread I started about my filesharing adventures would remain open long, though. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/28 "2005-03-09T03:31:07Z")
Since the READER is HQ’d in the US, these boards are run under US laws. I realize that’s arguably extremely US-centric, and not a very “global” attitude, but it’s what we think we’re stuck with. National laws – and certainly international law, such as it is – hasn’t kept up with technology. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2005, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322/29 "2005-03-09T03:59:18Z")
Oh, I’m not challenging the Reader’s position, not by any means. It does pose a bit of a conundrum, though. Would you shut down a thread asking about where to find a brothel or “coffee” shop in Amsterdam, for example? Pot and prostitution are both legal there. Naturally, that’s different than my asking questions about how to fileshare, since information about brothels in Amsterdam wouldn’t help anyone find a hooker anywhere else. But then, BitTorrent is the preferred method of distributing Linux distros, too, and one might think information about how best to acquire Debian or Slackware would be an appropriate topic on these boards. Tricky issue. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hey-dex-and-other-mods-is-filesharing-really-worse-than-legalizing-hard-drugs/293322.md?page=1)