Dal cuts Internet for students who download music, movies

Dal students' Internet connections can be blocked without warning for downloading illegal content off the web

Dalhousie University students living on campus risk losing their Internet connection if they’re caught downloading movies and music files without permission. (Photo: Sylvia Cole)

Dalhousie University students living on campus who download music and movies from peer-to-peer networks such as DC++ or LimeWire could find themselves off-line.

Ciarra McLean and Charlotte MacKeigan, who live in Studley residence, had no idea there’s a policy banning the downloading of movie and music files from the web without permission.

“Clearly the rest of us 16,000 students are downloading music. If you have a computer, I’m pretty sure you’re downloading,” says MacKeigan.

Eight students have been caught downloading movie and music files since September, says Jeff Uebele, Dalhousie’s assistant manager of data communications.

“We have to get their attention somehow,” says Uebele, who says students caught downloading have their connection to the wireless network cut off until they contact Dal’s Networks and Systems department. After someone at Network and Systems tells the student why they can’t download, Internet access is restored.

The responsible computing policy affects all students living on campus. It refers to computers owned, operated or contracted through the university, which includes students who live on campus and use the Dalhousie network to access the Internet.

McLean said she would be mad if it happened to her because she feels Dalhousie doesn’t give students enough warning.

Uebele agrees. “The biggest issue is the fact that we probably don’t have as good of an education campaign as we should.”

Pat Power, assistant director of Network and Systems, says Dal doesn’t advertise the policy because it isn’t trying to catch students. Action is only taken when a movie company complains of copyright infringement.

Students’ activity on the Dalhousie network is logged. When Network and Systems receives a complaint of a student downloading, it checks whether the file is roughly the size of a movie or music file. If it is, access to the Internet is blocked.

The student is notified by email. Trouble is, students can’t access their email unless they log into a different computer.

Uebele says he doesn’t know how movie and music companies track downloads, but admits there probably are ways to avoid detection.

It seems as though some students have figured it out. Advertisements in the classified section of the My.Dal page offer a service that would keep students from getting caught for a $10 fee.

McLean and MacKeigan plan to keep downloading despite the risk of being discovered.

“Even outside Dalhousie campus,” says MacKeigan, “everyone I know downloads and no one has ever gotten caught by anyone.”

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