<p>Okay seriously, does this happen often? Does the UW even have an incentive to punish students for this? </p>
<p>Yes, there’s a theoretical risk. But it seems that most people can still torrent with impunity.</p>
<p>And has anyone gotten in trouble for downloading anything other than a music/movie file? The RIAA/MPAA are obviously quite active at persecuting violations, but there don’t seem to be any persecutions related to computer game or textbook piracy.</p>
<p>EDIT: <a href=“http://news.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/06/26/2036211[/url]”>University of Washington Will Aid RIAA - Slashdot. Seriously, if the UW did this <em>voluntarily</em>, then there would be mass protests. It wouldn’t be serving the best interests of its students, and everyone here would then worry about their privacy. The only thing it’s doing is forwarding RIAA letters. That’s all. </p>
<p>So yes, there IS a risk associated with downloading music/movies. But (a) I’m not convinced that the risk is greater than the risk you incur from doing it at home, and (b) you’re probably safe if you’re downloading anything else.</p>