I hadn’t read anything about the case, but it does seem interesting.
Apparently the reason the case was brought was for alleged violation
of privacy, but for me, the bigger issue is whether running my
software on a users’ computer, for my benefit, and without that user’s
knowledge and consent, amounts to stealing. Kind of like jumping in
the back of someone’s pickup without their knowledge and consent and
riding to the next town insteading of paying for a bus, cab, or
gasoline in my own car. Or “stowing away” on a ship. In either case,
the price is small (a few extra CPU cycles and fan speed in one case,
a little bit more gasoline usage in the other).Trying to enforce such
a thing legally seems like a big ol’ can o’ worms that I wouldn’t be
in favor of, but it does bring up ethical questions.
On Fri, May 29, 2015 at 1:54 PM, Tom Johnson <
[hidden email]> wrote:
> 'Eighteen months after winning a hackathon innovation prize for a clever
> idea of a new online content business model, the MIT undergraduates who
> created Tidbit are finally free from the legal nightmare attracted by their
> proof of concept. Earlier this week, the New Jersey Attorney General dropped
> their investigation of the students, ending a case that hung over these
> students for a third of their undergraduate education. I'm incredibly
> relieved for the Tidbit undergrads, though I'm disappointed and upset that
> they had to face this legal challenge for so long.'
> See
http://bit.ly/1LRZj1L>
> Hmmmmm, what was it Shakespeare had to say about lawyers?
>
> -TJ
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