ITD claims that, despite its policy banning the downloading of copyrighted materials or other illegal transmissions over its server, it has no plans to enforce these policies. In reaction to a Wheel editorial which worried about the consequences of ITD s power to search through students transmissions over the Emory server, ITD officials claimed that they had no plans to exercise these powers, or enforce these policies. That s not the point. ITD is not a normal Internet service provider. Commercial ISPs craft policies in response to their customers demands.
Customers demand privacy and security in their transmissions.
The student technology fee that ITD charges to pay for services like the Emory server is not analagous to the fees charged by private companies. Students have no choice whether or not to pay the fee, even if they don t desire the services that ITD provides. Students who would prefer to get their e-mail and internet connection through another server are still charged the technology fee by the University. Students who don t like ITD s ability to search through their downloads, or threats to do the government s dirty work and enforce copyright laws that affect Napster downloads, have several choices, none of them pleasant. They could pay for a second ISP, in adition to paying the technology fee.