Illegal Downloading Information
Why does the school have an illegal downloading policy?
The school wants to help protect you from negative consequences associated with downloading copyrighted material. Additionally, the school has a responsibility to abide by local, state, and federal laws and respect the copyrights and intellectual property rights of others, including copyrighted music and other materials.
What is the downloading policy?
The policy regarding downloading is not new, but there is new software that assists the university in monitoring illegal activity. Illegal downloading falls under the Unauthorized Use of Computer Resources policy in our Code of Student Conduct. This policy includes, but is not limited to “unauthorized transfer of a file,” “use of computing facilities that violate copyright laws,” and “any violation of the University’s computer use policies.”
What does this new software do?
Audible Magic monitors any computer and user ID connected to Georgia Southern University’s wireless or ResNet networks. The device’s function is to monitor all data traffic that it can see on the network, looking for data that matches the copyrighted content contained in a database of protected works. Publishers of media content register their works in Audible Magic’s database. Audible magic then reports and catches all infractions as they occur and immediately notifies the student that his/her illegal use of the network has been detected.
What does Audible Magic detect?
Audible Magic will detect all music, movies, and software that are contained in a database of protected copyrighted material. Also it will recognize signatures from over 150 popular P2P applications and their derivatives.
What if I have a downloading program on my computer but don’t use it?
If you have a peer-to-peer (P2P) client on your computer like “Bittorrent” or “Ares” that song could be uploading to someone else’s computer over the internet and activate Audible Magic. This is still a violation of school policy. Audible Magic catches all infractions that are downloads and uploads.
Will I be notified if I have illegal programs on my computer?
Yes. If you attempt to download illegal material you will first receive a warning message that asks you to stop the download and provides suggestions for legal alternatives such as BearShare, Rhapsody, Pandora, YouTube and more. On repeat offenses your access to the University network (through your individual User ID) will be disabled and you will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
For more information click here for a list of legal alternatives.
Last updated: 8/20/2019