internet privacy?
 

What do you guys think about the recording industry filing suit against individuals who download mp3s? They've even started to demand isp records to see who's downloading what. DO you think this will stop mp3 downloading and trading?

Nope, not at all. I think the next step in preventing the RIAA from finding out what you download, will be encoder software bundled into the installation of all the Kazaas out there. Sure, they can find out you downloaded X amount of megs of stuff, but they won't know if it was 10 songs or a short movie trailer or what.

It will scare some people, but remember that a large portion of the people downloading music online are teenagers, and therefore will likely not take it seriously. As for the rest of us, we'll probably take it more seriously, but not enough to stop entirely. Software developers will just make it harder for these users to be traced. The RIAA's best option is to work with file sharing services in a way that will appease users and still draw in the money. Tricky to do, but I believe it's possible.