Re: [OS:N:] Student "rights" thread

--- Jeff Kinz <[email protected]> wrote:
> The proposition by James Michael DuPont (JMD) that all students
> have certain "rights" which should not be violated is generating a
> lot
> of action here.  Most of it from JMD.

Yes that is true. Lots of action on my part. If you think it is off
topic, please tell me. I dont want to be accused of trolling again.

At first glance, your interpretation is correct. 

The student bill of rights that are proposed by the FSEDU project is an
ethical measure. Not all people may agree the validity of them,
nevertheless we see them as being valid.

> (Ahh - but how do we enforce this if the content is in a public
> format?)

You can restrict the distribution of the files by usage of encryption,
authentication. 

digital watermarking can be used to track escaped documents, automatic
slight random changes in the grammar, spacing, punctuation and wording
of each version distributed is one method. 

It all comes down the matter of trust, contract and responsability.


> (recent polls have already shown that two thirds of of the folks on
> the
> internet do not respect copyright ownership and routinely
> redistribute
> copyrighted material without any concern for the illegality of the
> act.)

That is also because it is so easy to do. The ripping of documents is a
bit harder.

The issue of protecting the IP of the FSEDU project is also important,
because when we do have a public database of Consumables, then it will
also be victim of people trying to take it as well.

The ideas of watermarking and providing digitally encrypted,
watermarked, and signed content to the users of the system have occured
to me. Just because the file format is open does not mean it cannot be
secure. 

Imagine for example the possibility of delivery of the content not in
text format, but in a secure xml package.

This is getting back to the issues of digital rights management and
elecronic books. 

The difference is that you can have an aggreement with the students
that creates a closed users group, you need to trust them. 

If you dont trust your students, then why do you want to use free
software to begin with? Just buy into the microsoft software campus
license and set up a the Gestapo-like surveilance that they suggest ?

mike



=====
James Michael DuPont
http://introspector.sourceforge.net/

__________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! SiteBuilder - Free, easy-to-use web site design software
http://sitebuilder.yahoo.com


_______________________________________________
Subscription and Archive: https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/open-source-now-list/
-
For K12OS technical help join K12OSN:
<https://www.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/k12osn>