Students 'scratch' file-sharing itch

Illegal file sharing and colleges have become synonymous in the past few years because of the countless crackdowns on university students nationwide. \nBut illegal file sharing isn't just happening at IU. It's happening on the IU server, and because of IU privacy policies, there is nothing the University can do.\nKnown as the Common File System Scratch files, they were created by University Information and Technology Services to allow students to easily share files. The CFS allows students and faculty to store files, while the Scratch files take it one step further and make the files exchangeable via download.\n"The thinking behind scratch is that people need to share files with each other," said Andy Arenson, a storage services group manager for UITS at IU-Purdue University Indianapolis. "CFS allows people to reach files from anywhere, let's find a way to make it easy to share."\nThe idea was perfect on paper because it allows students to share their important information. But paper is also the cause for abuse to the system as IU privacy policies prevent UITS from monitoring student activity with the files.\n"(Students abusing the system) is something we had to think very carefully about," Arenson said. "The plain fact is, from a privacy standpoint, we aren't allowed to go in and look at what (students) put up ... If a complaint is made, we differ to the policy office and they decide how to respond."\nThis lack of authority over the files has led to copyrighted material such as music and videos to find their way onto the site.\n"The use of the scratch files and any service is governed by the computer users document that everyone reviews before activating a network ID," Deputy Communications Officer Christine Fitzpatrick said. "Like any other system or service, users are expected to agree (to those terms)."\nAccording to the Computer Users' Privileges and Responsibilities document drawn up in 1999, IU can only remove a student's information from his or her server if the information involves illegality, danger to the server or abusive material. Even though all copyrighted material falls under the category of illegality, IU can act on this only if someone reports illegal activity.\nFor more information regarding IU network user policies, visit the UITS Web site, www.uits.iu.edu.\n-- Contact staff writer Brian Janosch at bjanosch@indiana.edu.