University officials have found themselves in the crossfire between students and the Recording Industry Association of America. But while this puts Penn in a tough spot, the University is not a subsidiary of the RIAA.
Having sent out over a thousand pre-lawsuit settlement letters to students across the country - including 17 to Penn - the RIAA is gearing up to prosecute students for illegally downloading music.
But the RIAA only has IP addresses, and is asking universities to pass on the letters - a move that sets schools up as proxies at the RIAA's bidding.
Regardless of how University officials feel about illegal downloading, they should not take advantage of having access to student information unless legally compelled to. Commercial providers like AOL are not being asked to do this for the RIAA, and there is no reason why students should have a lesser expectation of privacy from their campus-based Internet provider.
Disappointingly, the DP reported last week that Penn plans to pass on the letters for the RIAA. The University is not legally obligated to do this, and should follow in the footsteps of the University of Wisconsin, which announced it would not pass them on unless required to by a subpoena.
If the RIAA does compel the University to send out the letters - a move that is based on sound legal ground - then it should by all means. However, until that point, it should remain on the side of its students.
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