Warner Bros is looking to recruit a student intern to spy on filesharers and monitor message-boards for “pirate groups and other pirate activities”. They are offering £17,500, about $26,000, for the place.
To be applicable for the job, you have to be studying an IT-related subject. File sharing groups have already expressed an interest in the job and would love to have an insider. TorrentFreak has invited its readers to apply for the internship and spy on the spies. Check out the full job description after the jump.
Internship Duties and Responsibilities
During the 12-month internship, duties will include: monitoring local Internet forums and IRC for pirated WB and NBCU content in order to gather information on pirate sites, pirate groups, and other pirate activities; finding new and maintaining existing accounts on private sites; scanning for links to hosted pirated WB and NBCU content and using tools to issue takedown requests; maintaining and developing bots for Internet link scanning system (training provided); preparing and sending infringement notices and logging feedback; performing trap purchases of pirated products and logging results; inputting pirate hard goods data and other intelligence into the forensics database; selecting local keywords and submitting local filenames for monitoring and countermeasure campaigns; and periodically producing research documents on piracy-related technological developments. Various training will be provided.
Implications and Reactions
The announcement of this internship has sparked a variety of reactions from different communities. On one hand, it provides a unique opportunity for IT students to gain hands-on experience in cybersecurity and digital forensics. The skills learned during this internship could be highly valuable in future careers, especially in fields related to digital rights management, cybersecurity, and law enforcement.
On the other hand, the job has raised ethical questions and concerns about privacy. File sharing groups and privacy advocates argue that such surveillance activities could infringe on individual privacy rights. They also point out the potential for abuse of power and the ethical dilemma of spying on peers. This has led to a mixed response, with some seeing it as a necessary step to combat piracy, while others view it as an overreach.
Moreover, the idea of “spying on the spies” as suggested by TorrentFreak adds another layer of complexity to the situation. If individuals from file sharing groups were to infiltrate the internship, it could lead to a cat-and-mouse game between Warner Bros and the very people they are trying to monitor. This scenario raises questions about the effectiveness and security of such an internship program.
Additionally, the internship’s focus on developing and maintaining bots for scanning internet links highlights the increasing reliance on automation in combating digital piracy. These bots can quickly identify and flag pirated content, making the process more efficient. However, the use of automated systems also brings up concerns about false positives and the potential for legitimate content to be mistakenly flagged and removed.
In conclusion, while the Warner Bros internship offers a lucrative and educational opportunity for IT students, it also brings to light significant ethical and practical challenges. The balance between protecting intellectual property and respecting individual privacy rights remains a contentious issue in the digital age.
Via Crunch Gear
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