Reconsider Privacy Ruling in Viacom Vs. YouTube/Google
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Hon. Judge Louis L Stanton, U.S. District Court Judge
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To: Hon. Judge Louis L Stanton
U.S. District Court Judge
United States Courthouse
500 Pearl St., Room 2250
New York, NY 10007
We the undersigned are users of the web, including YouTube.com, who are concerned about privacy issues, and the safeguarding of our private information online. We have been especially troubled by your recent ruling in Viacom Vs. YouTube/Google ordering YouTube/Google to release complete viewing logs of every video posted on YouTube since its launch, approximately three years ago, including username and IP address information. (NY Times: http://tinyurl.com/5td7hr).
While we recognize that Viacom may have an interest in the identities of those who have posted videos that infringe on their copyrights, we fail to grasp how viewer information on non-infringing videos is relevant to their case. Further, we find that this is an invasion into our privacy, and a violation of our Fourth Amendment right to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures."
We have freely chosen to grant YouTube/Google a limited use of our personal information in exchange for our use of the site. We have not granted any such permission to Viacom, and do not wish our usernames and IP addresses to be released to them without just cause.
Therefore, we call upon you, in your role as a guardian of the Constitution, to reconsider your ruling, and re-issue a more limited ruling, pertaining only to the videos which have broken copyright laws, and only including user data that is vital to Viacom's legal pursuits.
U.S. District Court Judge
United States Courthouse
500 Pearl St., Room 2250
New York, NY 10007
We the undersigned are users of the web, including YouTube.com, who are concerned about privacy issues, and the safeguarding of our private information online. We have been especially troubled by your recent ruling in Viacom Vs. YouTube/Google ordering YouTube/Google to release complete viewing logs of every video posted on YouTube since its launch, approximately three years ago, including username and IP address information. (NY Times: http://tinyurl.com/5td7hr).
While we recognize that Viacom may have an interest in the identities of those who have posted videos that infringe on their copyrights, we fail to grasp how viewer information on non-infringing videos is relevant to their case. Further, we find that this is an invasion into our privacy, and a violation of our Fourth Amendment right to be free from "unreasonable searches and seizures."
We have freely chosen to grant YouTube/Google a limited use of our personal information in exchange for our use of the site. We have not granted any such permission to Viacom, and do not wish our usernames and IP addresses to be released to them without just cause.
Therefore, we call upon you, in your role as a guardian of the Constitution, to reconsider your ruling, and re-issue a more limited ruling, pertaining only to the videos which have broken copyright laws, and only including user data that is vital to Viacom's legal pursuits.
1940 Signatures
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Nicole
- Comments
- We have our right to our privacy.
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States
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Aimee k
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- uk
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Monique P
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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bobby
- Comments
- we hate viacom!
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- america
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Lucy
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Nyk G
- Comments
- I believe personally that Viacom is Violating out rights as citizens. And also to the fact that we as the people do not know our rights, there for are clueless of the sitaution at hand.
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Keith E
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States
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Jeremy
- Comments
- Viacom Is Greedy and You are to Judge Viacom
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Almy M
- Comments
- I hate Viacom, get off the internet!
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States
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Bandet A
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- US of A
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lucas s
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Joey
- Comments
- What the heck is wrong with Viacom?!?!?!
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- America
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MarioZone96/MarioZoneAlt/MarioZoneIsBack
- YouTube Member
- No
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Drew B
- Comments
- Stop the suppression!
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Buhay Media P
- YouTube Member
- No
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Victor
- Comments
- If the issue is between Viacom and Youtube, then let it stay that way. I personally dont like Viacom at all, and I think this is the highest invasion of privacy that they could probably do. Fck Viacom :]
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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sarah
- Comments
- It is absurd to shutdown YouTube! Honestly! If they want to blame any sites for causing DVD sales to plummet then they should blame the sites whose sole purposes are to let you watch free movies, but even then it is inane to believe that internet sites are the main reason for the sales dropping when it is so plainly obvious that it is the bad economy and people not having the money to by dvds that is the reason. Anyways, YouTube was not created for the purpose of providing us with free movie viewing access. It is just like Myspace, and Facebook, in the sense that it was created so that people can be connected, know what is going on out there in the world, and socialize, and share common interests. Shutting it down would be absolutely ridiculous!
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States
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Luis P
- Comments
- We are entitled to privacy.
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- Portugal
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Lukasz M
- YouTube Member
- No
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Timothy
- YouTube Member
- No
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Andre M
- Comments
- Boycott Viacom!
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United states
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Simone
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Dan N
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Joseph C
- YouTube Member
- No
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bluesman4613
- Comments
- grow a pair
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- U.S.A.
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Zachariah M
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Gordon G
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States
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Mr G
- Comments
- Viacom, stop or you will Fail
- YouTube Member
- No
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Aaron S
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Mary
- YouTube Member
- No
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Jason P
- Comments
- Another big company declaring war on its customers...
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Declan
- Comments
- This is one of the worst things the U.S.A. government has done, and that is saying something, in my opinion. This violates our privacy, and our right to free speech.
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- Canada
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Jade S
- YouTube Member
- No
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Lucas R
- Comments
- I feel my privacy is being invaded how many of the people reviewing the content will sit and laugh at what people watch then go after them like dogs not right unconstitutional
- Country
- United States of the no longer Free America
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Meghan
- Comments
- YouTube rules! Don't shut them down! They own you BIG TIME!
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- America
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Paul
- Comments
- As a Mexican-American and a youtube and google user I feel Viacom does not have the right to peer into my privacy, neither any company in the world, specially if i have done NOTHING wrong, neither i have stolen any viacom copyrighted material.
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- Mexico
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Scott H
- Comments
- Viacom has no right to be viewing information regarding watched videos. How am i supposed to know it's bad to watch the Daily Show with Jon Stewart on Youtube when Viacom had no problem with fansites showing footage of this and other Viacom owned shows when they we're still gaining popularity? This was just using fans to market their T.V. shows and then turning their back on them in the interest of profit. Removing the videos is understnadable, going after the posters is a bit out of hand, but invading the privacy of/going after the viewers? Unreasonable.
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States of America
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Shaun P. O
- Comments
- I am extremely concerned for my privacy.
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- U.S.A.
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Gabriel D
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States
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Duval
- Comments
- Say no to Viacom
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Lukas G
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- Germany
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Alex W
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States
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Grassini
- YouTube Member
- No
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Adam T
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- United States
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c.walker
- YouTube Member
- No
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Yesenia M
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Duma
- YouTube Member
- No
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RRollergod
- YouTube Member
- No
- Country
- USA
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Amanda
- Comments
- This is so messed up! What is t his world coming to. Next we're going to just let big corporations enter our homes and go through our personal belongings all because we watched a video that may have been deemed inappropriate/copywritten according to their standards. Some of the videos I watch I don't even know. If I ever get sued I am filing a counter suit you better believe it and it will be for a big amount of money. MF'ers.
- YouTube Member
- No
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bryce r
- YouTube Member
- No
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1940
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