Scott McCausland, ex-administrator of the Elite Torrents BitTorrent tracker has been released from jail, but has been to switch from Ubuntu to Windows for the remaining duration of his probation. Elite Torrents was closed down in May of 2005 by the FBI for releasing “Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith” online more than six hours before it released in theaters for the midnight showing.

Why does he have to switch his operating system? Is it because the U.S. government doesn’t know enough about linux and thinks it to be a danger to copyrights the worldwide? Is it because they fear he’s more “capable” while using linux?

It’s nothing that impressive or shady. It’s because, as part of his sentence, his probation officer has to install monitoring software onto his computer. While that’s not such a big deal, the problem is that the Justice Department only seems to carry Windows software. So his options are either wipe his hard drive and install Windows or don’t use a computer for the remainder of his probation.

McCausland, on his site, says that he has no problems with software being installed on his computer. He’s just not happy about being forced to buy an OS because the one he chose isn’t supported. Still, it beats going back to jail.

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2 Comments »

1. 
   Devin de Gruyl
   August 24, 2007 at 12:45 pm

   You know… as much as I want to get all in a tizzy of righteous indignation over this and how it’s a violation of basic consumer rights to be forced to use an OS you don’t like… the simple fact of the matter is, he did break the law and, thus, the JD (now there’s an ironic acronym if ever there was one) is perfectly within their rights to make his probation dependent on whatever conditions they lay down.

   Now, having said that, there are alternatives to having such software installed directly on his computer that would allow him to continue using Ubuntu; keeping a monitor on his IPs at the ISP level for incoming/outgoing traffic, for example. (ISPs do have the capability of not only recognizing when you’re torrenting, but also what files you’re transferring and how much data you’ve both sent and recieved.) But, even so… if you wanna roll the dice, you gotta be willing to pay the price. And if the price turns out to be your freedom of OS choice is restricted, then so be it… besides, like you say, at least it beats jail where ALL of your freedoms are restricted.

   Maybe it’ll even be a good object lesson to future would-be pirates — mess with the MPAA and find yourself chained to the MS monopoly. With some, it might even be a better deterrent than prison… ;^P

   [Reply]
   Migo Reply:
   August 24th, 2007 at 7:02 pm

   Yeah, there are alternatives, but it would take time to “train people” to use them. Having worked for the government, I know that even the simplest of tasks requires training that has to be paid for, so I know why they wouldn’t want to go that route.

   It sucks that he’s faced with this choice, but that’s what happens when you break the law I suppose. I hope it was worth it though, going to jail for putting out a crappy movie six hours before it hit theaters. Couldn’t you have just waiting in line, paid $8, and bitched about it later like the rest of us?

   [Reply]

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