Gannon Knight ArtsLeisure

     Human nature bends for convenience. We seek for ways, sometimes unknowingly, to craft ourselves and our circumstances to be as agreeable as possible. We want life to be easy, and we will receive any labor-saving device out there to receive succor.
     Technology has become life’s dynamic convenience factor. Tiny, portable MP3 players are a staple of our generation. With iPods that can store 4,000 songs, it is hard not to wonder how and where the owner procured the music that makes up his or her 160 gigabyte library.
     Some people still purchase the good ol’ compact discs, rip them to their computer and sync them to their MP3 player. Others purchase songs from iTunes, for example, a practical tool for owners of iPods and other devices the Apple monopoly produces. Still, a large population illegally downloads music.
Illegally downloading copyrighted material from sites like LimeWire and BitTorrent is the same as stealing a CD from a store, except the chances of getting caught are less likely.
     Unfortunately, illegal downloading has become generally accepted, especially by college students, mostly because it goes unpunished. Downloading a song or movie without paying the copyright holder is a violation of Gannon University policy and federal law, according to Mark Jordano, director of Information Technology Services.
     Though Mara Worrell, an undecided science major, does not download on Gannon’s network, she uses downloading programs when she is at home.
     “It’s free and I’m a college student and can’t afford to buy CDs,” Worrell said. “Obviously it hurts the music industry and them as an artist, but people are still going to do it anyways.”
     The fear of contracting viruses takes precedence over the fear of getting in trouble, and it is one of the main concerns students have of illegal downloading.
     Jordano said LimeWire is known to be loaded with viruses and malware that can cause serious damage to students computers and the Gannon network.
     Christine Rinella, a freshman occupational therapy major, said she had to stop downloading music when her laptop became infected with numerous viruses, but she still accepted illegal downloading.
     “Downloading is easier, faster and cheaper than having to go to a store to buy CDs or off iTunes. Plus, I can download individual songs and not have to buy the full album.”
     Like Rinella, Karissa Vasconi, a sophomore mathematics major, views downloading as a convenient tool to obtain music.
     “It’s easier than actually going to the stores and having to buy the whole CD,” Vasconi said. “I could just download the one I want.”
     When it came to legalities though, Vasconi said she never really thought about the consequences.
     “Everyone else did it so I wasn’t concerned,” she said.
     Jordano said that the Gannon network does not scan for student usage of sites like LimeWire and BitTorrent, but encourages students to find legal downloading sources.
     “We have communicated repeatedly about the dangers and risks of illegal downloading,” Jordano said.
     Rinella said that she has never been afraid of getting caught downloading music.
     “Downloading is so common now that it doesn’t seem like people take it seriously enough to take legal action,” she said.
     Jordano said that there have not been any cases of student copyright infringement, but if students are caught illegally downloading, they could lose network privileges and perhaps face school suspension.
     The main reason file-sharing programs are blocked on the network is to prevent sharing of copyrighted materials, and subsequently to protect the network from viruses, Jordano said.
     “It is important that you educate yourself about the issue; never download illegal materials, and consider using one of the many legal ways to download music, movies and TV shows,” Jordano said.