Friday, March 11, 2011
Free speech and Copyrights
I get mail from a certain website that posts information about iPhone updates, products, software, and mostly jailbreak information. What is Jailbreaking an iDevice you may ask? Basically, someone who owns an iPhone or iPod or iPad can run a program on their computer and device that allows you to run other programs, apps, and such, as well as change the appearance of the stuff on the screen.
For the past few weeks I have been receiving e-mails about controversy surrounding a hacker who's online name is Geohot. He develops jailbreak software to jailbreak all kinds of devices, like the PS3. He is being sued by Sony for helping software pirates, claiming that his actions would allow people to play pirated games. Geohot claims that he supports people who want to create their own games, not those who steal games. In any case, Geohot says that he never hacked a device that he didn't own or that somebody didn't ask him to hack. But with so much gaming being done online, is a device that you own really yours? Should you be able to do anything you want with what you bought? I think so, but is that legal? As long as it doesn't harm anyone, I don't see the issue.
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Now, I don't know a lot about this David, so bare with me if I sound a little dumb...
ReplyDeleteI can understand perfectly why major companies would be upset by this. If I understand correctly, jailbreaking an iPhone allows one to get games and apps that they originally would have to play Apple for, for free. Obviously, this means that Apple is losing a lot of money for things they work to develop. It is hard, however, to stop all technology frauds, but I think it makes sense that these major companies keep doing all they can to stop these frauds.
I sure hope that the devices I own are really mine! One of my family's computers got hacked and it was really scary having a computer basically get stolen from me right before my eyes. People should be able to do what they want with their devices but only if it harms no one else's property and if they are willing to deal with the consequences. I've heard that if you jailbreak your phone then your service provider is no longer obligated to provide you
ReplyDeleteservice or fix your phone if it gets broken. Also, you should be able to do what you want as long as you're not stealing. Stealing is stealing whether it be in a store or online.
Personally, I believe that people shouldn't jailbreak devices. Even if the main objective of the jailbreaking isn't to steal materials, it is a door opened by jailbreaking and I am very against the pirating of software that is for sale. It may not be hurting anyone, but it does not help the creators of the software either and it is their intellectual property and not getting paid for it is wrong. Just my opinion.
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