MetaChat - Just how unethical is it?

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03 March 2007

Just how unethical is it? I have discovered that a daily podcast I am interested in has already loaded future episodes on their server. These are easily reached by a slight change to the url for currently available eps.→[More:] It is obviously unethical to make use of this, as their intention is to release these on a set schedule. Just how unethical is it though?

post by: Lentrohamsanin at: 19:48 | 7 comments

I'm e-mailing them about this hole by the way.

posted by Lentrohamsanin 03 March | 19:50

Seems completely victimless to me.

posted by DaShiv 03 March | 20:11

Hmm? Well...companies have been sued for doing what you have done, but I don't think it's unethical at all. If it's stored on a WWW-accesible server, and it's not protected by a password or anything, then it's fair game.

posted by muddgirl 03 March | 20:28

Here's another pretty braindead example.

posted by muddgirl 03 March | 20:30

I'm e-mailing them about this hole by the way.

You are the best fan they could ask for.

posted by dabitch 03 March | 20:51

I agree with muddgirl, their server is serving the content even if you had to guess the URL. It's so trivial to protect this content that I consider the ethics of accessing it about the same as taking a drink from your neighbour's hose left running on his lawn. Harvard's over reaction was just silly.

posted by Mitheral 03 March | 22:25

Security through obscurity

posted by Eideteker 04 March | 03:33

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