Proud of Michigan

I'm so pleased to read that the Michigan legislature passed and Governor Granholm signed into law a bill requiring that "computer forensics technicians" be licensed as private investigators, according to a post on Ray Beckerman's Recording Industry vs. The People blog. This means that the investigatory firm MediaSentry, the bulldog employed by the recording/motion picture industry to spy on Internet traffic and deliver up IP addresses supposedly engaged in illegal file-sharing activities, has to obtain a P.I. license to engage in this activity in Michigan. This is especially good because, as Beckerman documented in a previous post, MediaSentry has tailored its presentation of its methods and expertise in various court cases depending on the applicable state laws in a deceptive and misleading manner. Presumably, if MediaSentry is required to be licensed as a private investigator in order to offer testimony in Michigan cases, it will also be required to explain to juries the (fundamentally flawed) technical methods it uses. At the very least, Michigan has temporarily shielded its citizens from MediaSentry's snooping and the avalanche of takedown notices and extortionate threats of legal actions that result from their dubious methods. If you live and vote in Michigan, you might want to consider dropping a quick e-mail or letter to your state representative thanking him or her for protecting your rights as a consumer and a citizen.