Rather than imposing their visitors advertisements, site administrators could offer an alternative solution would display advertisements do more on their screen, but in exchange they agree to their computer staff are connected to a network of “mining” of bitcoins, that is to say, making this electronic money
Read. How does the bitcoin
?
INNOVATION AWARD
The only way to create bitcoins is to solve math equations more complex. Now most of the “minor” must buy computer batteries specially designed for this task, and create vast interconnected pools. Tidbit appears as an innovative solution mining point to point (or peer-to-peer ) and collaborative: the mining would be done by pooling the unused computing power of thousands of PCs interconnected .
In November 2013, four students decided to present Tidbit at the Hackathon Node.js Knockout, an online competition run by a California company, opposing teams from around the world, and the prize for the innovation. Encouraged by this success, they put online an experimental version of their software.
Site administrators interested in this new source of income must open an account with Tidbit and give the address of their bitcoin wallet. Then they download the software and integrate it into the code of web pages, which immediately gives them access to the computers of visitors – the mining can begin. The bitcoins so produced will be shared between team Tidbit and the site owner.
HACKING CHARGES
But the trouble comes fast. By December 2013, one of four students, Jeremy Rubin, who had registered the site Tidbit to his name, receives an order from the Attorney General of New Jersey – a state where he has never lived, and with whom Tidbit n has no current connections. The judge demands that he deliver all files and documents relating to the project, including software code and Internet addresses and bitcoin all those who downloaded it.
For Justice New Jersey Tidbit is not a tool for sharing, but hacking because it can be configured to enter and operate a computer automatically, without the knowledge of its owner, as soon as it connects to a web page equipped with the software. If a hacker were to decide to use it that way, it would violate several laws, civil and criminal, for consumer and computer fraud. The prosecutor also said that its technical services have identified at least three sites with Tidbit owned by residents of New Jersey.
Jeremy Rubin then contact EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), large American Association for the Defence of Freedoms on the Internet. It immediately agrees to take over his defense and launched a legal attack against to set aside the injunction, arguing strictly legal arguments: first, justice Jersey violates the principle of territoriality, as Jeremy Rubin has no connection with that country. On the other hand, if he was delivering papers Tidbit he himself would provide incriminating evidence for a trial. But the Constitution of the United States authorized to refuse self-incrimination.
THE BACK AARON SCHWARTZ
Jeremy Rubin and his three Friends can also count on the support of their university. For MIT, Tidbit case occurs in a complex environment, and very emotional. A few months earlier, another student, Aaron Swartz, 26, a researcher at MIT and free Internet activist, killed himself while being pursued by the federal court for downloading millions of scientific documents, stored open access on a server for use by libraries
Read. Aaron Swartz, route of a child from the Net
Or MIT had Aaron Swartz not help and had even filed a complaint against him for illegal use of campus computers. After his suicide, many students and teachers have criticized this attitude and accused the MIT to be partially responsible for his death. The management of the Institute had also launched an internal investigation to look back at the behavior of its services.
From the onset of Tidbit case, the academic community is mobilizing again, and reproach the MIT administration to do nothing to help Jeremy Rubin – initially, it was just advised the young man to get a good lawyer … Faced with mounting criticism, the president of MIT, Rafael Reif , changed his strategy: he proclaims that the creators of Tidbit can count on his “full support and enthusiastic,” and promised to work with EFF to defend them. He also wrote to the Attorney of New Jersey, asking him to drop the charges -. An unincorporated scope approach
“BRAKE FOR INNOVATION”
Associations of professors and students publish open letters of support for Jeremy Rubin, claiming that the prosecution “aggressive and threatening” are an affront to freedom of research . scientist and a violation of the independence of universities
Hanni Fakhoury, the EFF attorney handling the case, summarizes their thoughts: “If researchers can be brought to justice does anytime, by any State, on a whim of a prosecutor, they will not dare to venture into certain areas of research, though promising. It will be a brake on innovation. “ He further notes that the State of New Jersey has already conducted several lawsuits against the bitcoin.
On September 22, a New Jersey judge heard arguments EFF, requesting cancellation of the procedure. He is expected to announce its decision by the end of October. However, the prosecutor has already won an initial victory: Jeremy Rubin and his friends are no longer working on Tidbit, which has been abandoned, at least temporarily. For the rest, their lawyer says they lead a normal student life and are already developing other projects.
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