More fallout from last week’s U.S. Government Accountability Office report on the entertainment industry’s piracy numbers. The gist of the report was that the government (and you and I) should never believe what the entertainment industry has to say again re: piracy because it was pulling data completely out of thin air. “Oh, 44 percent of all unauthorized file-sharing comes from universities, so you universities have to install filters to prevent students from downloading this and that, and we’ll need new laws passed to protect our dying business methods. Oh, wait, sorry, math error, that’s only 15 percent of unauthorized file-sharing. What, you want to know where we got these numbers from? Sorry, can’t tell you, trade secret, but please pass favorable legislation anyway, kthxbye.”
Somewhere in that rambling mess of dialogue is today’s story. The Motion Picture Association of America had refused to cooperate with the U.S. Government Accountability Office’s investigation into entertainment industry piracy figures. The GAO wanted to know how the movie industry came up with its doom-and-gloom numbers, but the MPAA said, “Nope, we’re not telling.”
What, the government is supposed to take the MPAA at its word? Ha!
Flickr’d
You know how you read stories that say the U.S. loses X-amount of jobs per year due to piracy, or that this or that industry loses zillions of dollars per year because of piracy? The Government Accountability Office just released a new report [PDF alert!] that says that all of those reports are flawed and are completely worthless. In other words, the next time you hear the MPAA say “Downloading that DVD rip will ruin the movie industry” you can safely say, “Really? Where’s the proof?”
There’s a few things going on here. The MPAA and the like are quick to point to studies that show, for example, that the U.S. looses $200 billion per year because of piracy. That’s an old FBI study, but one that apparently nobody in the FBI can find any actual information about. Imagine writing a book report on a book that doesn’t exist—that’s sorta what Hollywood does when it cites said FBI study.
Another common flaw among these studies: they automatically assume that one download is equivalent to one lost sale. Just because some kid downloaded a Jay-Z album doesn’t mean he was ever going to buy that album in the first place. All that assumption does is heavily inflate the numbers, tilting them to the industry’s favor.
Just something to keep an eye out for.
Apparently the space boxes that send GPS data down to our waiting TomToms and iPhones are breaking down. The entire system could start failing next year, sending all of us into a strange hell of missed turns and aimless driving.
The satellites are overseen by the US Air Force, which has maintained the GPS network since the early 1990s. According to a study by the US government accountability office (GAO), mismanagement and a lack of investment means that some of the crucial GPS satellites could begin to fail as early as next year.
“It is uncertain whether the Air Force will be able to acquire new satellites in time to maintain current GPS service without interruption,” said the report, presented to Congress. “If not, some military operations and some civilian users could be adversely affected.”
Remember: this is a US commissioned study and they’re basically trying to get more than the $2 billion they’re already getting to upgrade the system. The first replacement satellites should have been sent up in 2007 but failed. New satellites should hit the airwaves this year or we could end up using Russia or China’s homegrown solutions.
